Update on Massachusetts: Access to care up, affordability still an issue

An annual update on the status of the Massachusetts universal coverage program found that while access to care improved between 2007 and 2008, the state is still facing serious concerns about reigning in costs (Source: “High Costs Put Damper on Massachusetts Insurance Program,” Wall Street Journal Health Blog, May 28, 2009).

The report, “Access And Affordability: An Update On Health Reform In Massachusetts, Fall 2008,” was conducted by researchers at the Urban Institute and was published yesterday on the Web site for the journal Health Affairs.

“Unlike some of the sustained gains in insurance coverage and access, some of the early gains in the affordability of health care had eroded by fall 2008, as health costs continued to increase,” write the study’s authors, Sharon Long and Paul Masi of the Urban Institute.

An update on landmark 2006 Massachusetts legislation also will be the topic of a Health Policy Institute of Ohio forum from 10 a.m. to noon, Thursday, June 18, at Franklin University’s Alumni Hall, 301 East Rich St, in Columbus.

This forum will feature Michael Doonan, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University; executive director of the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum; and director of the Council for Health Care Economics and Policy.

To register for the forum, visit http://tinyurl.com/qlknsu.