Study: Rolls of Massachusetts uninsured fall by nearly half since new law took effect
The number of adults without health insurance dropped by almost half in the
first year of the Massachusetts Health reform law, according to a new study
released Tuesday.
The Urban Institute found that the uninsurance rate among adults dropped
from 13 percent to 7.1 percent, according to the study, which was released
by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation.
Researchers compiled the data by conducting telephone interviews with random
Massachusetts adults ages 18 to 64 in the fall of 2006, just before the
reform law began, and again in fall 2007.
Some of the biggest insurance gains came among low-income adults who made
less than 300 percent of the federal poverty level. Those adults are
eligible for subsidized insurance created by the law under the Commonwealth
Care label, and their uninsurance rate dropped from 23.8 percent in fall
2006 to 12.9 percent a year later.
Adults with incomes below 100 percent of federal poverty level saw their
uninsurance rate drop to 10 percent in fall 2007, a decline of about
two-thirds payday advances.
The Urban Institute also determined that the new health care law helped
low-income adults find regular access to health care, and employer-sponsored
health coverage remained stable.
More people were able to find health insurance, in part because the new
health reform law increased their options. The measure, enacted in April
2006, expanded MassHealth, or Medicaid options. The law also created
subsidies to enable more people to buy insurance and a mandate that
individuals obtain insurance.
The new law also requires employers with more than 10 employees to either
provide insurance or pay into a state fund.