What We Know About Health Reform in Massachusetts

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The brief’s key findings are:

  • Numerous studies have examined the impact of Massachusetts’ landmark 2006 health care reform, the basis for the national Affordable Care Act.
  • The results suggest that the Massachusetts reform has largely succeeded by:
    • reducing uninsurance rates;
    • improving health care access and health outcomes; and
    • inducing more firms to offer coverage, without raising unemployment.
  • At the same time improving access to non-employer coverage may have reduced labor force participation for men age 55-64.
  • Finally, while health care cost growth has slowed in recent years, cost control remains a challenge.