An evaluation of health care programs for low income uninsured and underinsured Massachusetts residents : a report to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, House Committee on Ways and Means and Joint Committee on Health Care

118 Pages·1998·2.6 MB·English

by  Bachman, Sara S

UMASS/AMHtRST
312Dbb
0270 1 M M M S
Division of Health Care Finance and Policy
An Evaluation of Health Care Programs
for Low Income Uninsured and Underinsured
Massachusetts Residents
A Report to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means,
House Committee on Ways and Means
and Joint Committee on Health Care
March 1998
2,
Barbara Erban Weinstein, Commissioner
Argeo Paul Cellucci, Governor William D. O'Leary, Secretary
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services

An
Evaluation
ofHealth Care Programs for Low Income Uninsured and Underinsured
Massachusetts Residents
A Report to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, the House
Committee on Ways and Means, and the Joint Committee on Health Care
PrimaryAuthor. Sara S. Bachman, Ph.D.
Contributors: Heather Dibble
Julia Goldrosen
Getachew Habteh-Yimer
Michael Lichtman
Cindy Wacks
Massachusetts Division ofHealth Care Finance and Policy
Barbara Erban Weinstein, Commissioner
Amy Lischko, Director, Health Systems Measurement and Improvement Group
Robert W. Seifert, Project Manager
Digitized by the Internet Archive
2014
in
https://archive.org/details/evaluationofhealOObach
81
An Evaluation ofHealth Care Programs for Low Income Uninsured
and Underinsured Massachusetts Residents
Table ofContents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
I. 1
DESCRIPTION OF REFORM EFFORTS 3
II.
A. MassHealth 3
B. Children's Medical Security Plan 6
C. SeniorPharmacyAssistance Program 6
D. The Uncompensated Care Pool 7
FINDINGS FROM EACH PROGRAM 8
III.
A. MassHealth 8
i. Description ofProgram Participants 8
ii. Service Utilization 10
iii. Barriersto Enrollment 1
iv. ProviderIssues 16
v. Other Issues 1
B. Children's Medical SecurityPlan 19
i. Description ofProgram Participants 19
ii. Service Utilization 20
iii. Barriersto Enrollment 21
iv. ProviderIssues * 22
v. OtherIssues 22
C. TheSeniorPharmacy Assistance Program 25
Description ofProgram Participants 25
i.
ii. Service Utilization 27
iii. BarrierstoEnrollment 27
iv. ProviderIssues 29
v. OtherIssues 30
D. Uncompensated CarePool 32
Description ofProgram Participants 32
i.
ii. Service Utilization 33
iii. Barriersto Enrollment 33
iv. ProviderIssues 35

SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT
IV.
A. Outreach and Enrollment Strategies
B. Impact on Providers
C. Triage Among the Programs
NEXT STEPS
V.
A. Interim Reporting
B. Plans for2000 Evaluation
APPENDIX A
Individuals Interviewed
InterviewProtocol