This report, from SHARE grantee Stan Dorn of the Urban Institute, details findings from an analysis of Louisiana's landmark used of automated Medicaid enrollment via Express Lane Eligibility (ELE), a strategy authorized by the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA).  Under this initiative Louisiana automatically enrolled children into Medicaid based on data matches indicating eligibility for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).  Dorn and his co-authors analyze the impact of Louisiana's ELE implementation on several outcomes including enrollment, coverage, administrative costs, and administrative efficiency, offering a number of lessons for other states considering the use of ELE for public program eligiblity determination.

Presentation by SHADAC Director Lynn A. Blewett, Ph.D., "Health Insurance Exchange," presented at the Policy not Politics: A Dialogue about the Health Insurance Exchange hosted by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the American Cancer Society.  Held February 7, 2012 on the Medtronic Campus in Mounds View, Minnesota.

Download a PDF version of these slides.

Long, S.K., Stockley, K., & Dahlen, H. 2012 "Massachusetts Health Reforms: Uninsurance Remains Low, Self-Reported Health Status Improves As State Prepares To Tackle Costs." Health Affairs (32)2: 444-451.

The Massachusetts health reform initiative enacted into law in 2006 continued to fare well in 2010, with uninsurance rates remaining quite low and employer-sponsored insurance still strong. Access to health care also remained strong, and first-time reductions in emergency department visits and hospital inpatient stays suggested improvements in the effectiveness of health care delivery in the state.

There were also improvements in self-reported health status. The affordability of health care, however, remains an issue for many people, as the state, like the nation, continues to struggle with the problem of rising health care costs. And although nearly two-thirds of adults continue to support reform, among nonsupporters there has been a marked shift from a neutral position toward opposition (17.0 percent opposed to reform in 2006 compared with 26.9 percent in 2010). Taken together, Massachusetts’s experience under the 2006 reform initiative, which became the template for the structure of the Affordable Care Act, highlights the potential gains and the challenges the nation now faces under federal health reform.

Long, S.K., K. Stockley, and H. Dahlen. 2012. "Massachusetts Health Reforms: Uninsurance Remains Low, Self-Reported Health Status Improves As State Prepares To Tackle Costs." Health Affairs. Published online before print January 2012, doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2011.0653

Related Publication: "Health Reform in Massachusetts as of Fall 2010" released by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, January 2012.

This report presents the latest findings from the Massachusetts Health Reform Survey (MHRS), which has been conducted since 2006 to monitor the impact of the Massachusetts health reform law.

This year's report shows that more than 90% of nonelderly adults have a usual source of care, up from 86% in 2006, and utilization of basic health services also increased. There is evidence that having unmet need for medical care is a problem, particularly for lower-income adults.

• Full report
• Chartbook

The authors also published a companion article in Health Affairs on January 25, 2012, "Massachusetts Health Reforms: Uninsurance Remains Low, Self-Reported Health Status Improves As State Prepares To Tackle Costs."