Report: Mass. tops in health coverage; cost still a challenge
A report designed to track the effectiveness of the state’s 2006 health care reform law has found that the state continues to maintain a high rate of insurance coverage among residents, but cost is still a concern.
The 2013 Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS), commissioned by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is conducted yearly to track the law’s impact on access, use of services and affordability of care.
The survey found that health insurance coverage in Massachusetts is the best in the country, with 95.2 percent of non-elderly adults (ages 19 to 64) insured, up from 86 percent in 2006 and above the national average of 79.6 percent. Access was also strong in the state, the survey found, with 9 out of 10 adults having gone somewhere for regular medical advice or attention rather than a hospital emergency room.
However, the survey found that roughly 40 percent of adults said high health care costs caused problems for them or their families. This was especially the case among those with lower incomes or people in high-deductible plans, according to the survey. Nearly a third of those who responded said they had gone without needed care in 2013, with 13.8 percent citing cost as the reason.
“High health care costs are continuing to cause problems for many Massachusetts residents, particularly for those who are most vulnerable,” Audrey Shelto, the foundation’s president, said in a statement. “Making health care more affordable for residents of the Commonwealth must be a priority.”
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