In 2000, Massachusetts received HRSA SPG funds to conduct an in-depth analysis of the public and private health insurance market and began developing feasible policy options that would allow the state to develop affordable coverage options for all Massachusetts residents within the existing health insurance structure. The major issue that the project addressed is affordability. The project goals included:

• Defining "affordable" for residents based on income and household size;
• Defining "adequate benefits" (including cost-sharing) to serve as a benchmark based on the most prevalent insurance products (using subscribers, affordability, and consumer preferences as categories);
• Identifying existing and potential barriers to insurance coverage (e.g. affordability, awareness, risk-taking behavior, competing priorities); and
• Developing proposals for achieving universal access to affordable health insurance that support and enhance the private insurance market while ensuring that the safety net of public programs is available for those who need it.  

Learn more about the Massachusetts state planning grant effort.

Application, July 2000

Preliminary Report, October 2001

SPG Report, March 2002

SPG Report, October 2002

Follow-up Report, October 24, 2004

HRSA Final Report, October 2005

Employers Who Have 50 or More Employees Using Public Health Assistance, February 2005

Health Insurance Status of Massachusetts Residents, Fourth Edition, November 2004

Health Insurance Survey of Massachusetts Employers: Core Results, 2005

Massachusetts Employer Health Insurance Survey, Spring/Summer

Massachusetts Health Care Task Force: Final Report, 2002

Massachusetts Uncompensated Care Pool Web site