In May 2013, Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Office of the Associate Director for Policy commissioned the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) to develop a case study of Chapter 58, the health reform law in Massachusetts that transformed the state’s health insurance landscape, expanded public programs, and impacted the public’s health through a variety of other provisions. NNPHI selected HRiA to conduct the study.
The purpose of the study was to learn more about the effects of the health reform law on the Massachusetts public health enterprise and what lessons could be applied to other jurisdictions. To this end, HRiA conducted and produced the following:
- A review of peer-reviewed and grey literature to understand the impact of Chapter 58 upon topics including, but not limited to, health insurance coverage, access to care, health services utilization, health outcomes, safety net finances, and public health programs Universal Health Insurance Access Efforts in MA: A Literature Review
- Qualitative research through key informant interviews with high-level state and local leaders in Massachusetts to gain insight into the process and impacts of the implementation of Chapter 58 Universal Health Insurance Access Efforts in MA: Comprehensive Report of Qualitative Findings
- A synthesis case study examining the impact of Chapter 58 in MA to provide lessons learned to states to inform their ongoing implementation of the Affordable Care Act, forecast potential effects on public health practice, and highlight opportunities to improve population health outcomes (See Universal Health Insurance Access Efforts in MA: A Case Study – Lessons Learned for Public Health Systems Across the U.S.); and
- A national webinar presenting the findings from the aforementioned case study
