Just a year after implementing a groundbreaking health reform initiative in Massachusetts, the uninsured population in that state has been slashed nearly in half (from 13 percent to 7 percent), according to a new report from the Urban Institute in Washington, D.C.
However, industry observers say that the experience in Massachusetts could point to potential problems that other states, or the nation, could face if health coverage is expanded too rapidly, says Steve Davis, managing editor of AIS Health Business Daily.
The experience in Massachusetts illustrates that access to insurance is not synonymous with access to care, says Devon Herrick, a senior fellow with the National Center for Policy Analysis. Herrick says some of the problems residents of Massachusetts are experiencing are characteristic of what we can expect across the country if the uninsured population is reduced too quickly:
Source: Steve Davis, "Demands on Massachusetts Providers Illustrate Challenges of Covering the Uninsured," AIS Health Business Daily, June 18, 2008.
Posted by craigorianchant on June 18, 2008
Category: Uncategorized
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