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Stan Dorn Releases Report and Issue Brief on Massachusetts’ Coverage Success

November 11, 2009

November 11, 2009:  Stan Dorn has released a full report and an issue brief presenting preliminary findings from his SHARE-sponsored evaluation of auto-enrollment procedures in Massachusetts.  The documents, both titled, "The Secrets of Massachusetts' Success: Why 97 Percent of State Residents Have Health Coverage," highlight the various factors that have contributed to the state's high enrollment levels following the implementation of statewide health reform in 2006.

Mr. Dorn and his research team at the Urban Institute conducted interviews with policymakers, stakeholders, advocates, and others, along with a review of published reports, to assess Massachusetts' enrollment outcomes.  They identified the following factors as particularly important in encouraging the enrollment of eligible, low-income uninsured:    

 

  • Within 15 months of implementation, roughly one out of four newly insured state residents received subsidized coverage based on state data about household income, without any need to file traditional application forms.
  • A single application form and a single system of eligibility determination served multiple subsidy programs, making enrollment simple and seamless for consumers.
  • More than half of all successful applications for subsidized coverage were completed for consumers by community-based organizations and health care providers.

 

Mr. Dorn and his team suggest that it will be important to incorporate lessons from Massachusetts' enrollment efforts into the design of any future coverage expansions at the national or state level if reformers hope to achieve the basic objective of enrolling the low-income uninsured into health insurance.

Click here to read the full report.

Click here to read the issue brief based on the full report.