An overview of the consequences states, particlarly Massachusetts, would face if Congress fails to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) released by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation in partnership with the Health Law & Policy team at UMass Medical School.

The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) has identified the MassOptions free online and helpline service as a “promising practice” in a set of Technology in Practice profiles. MassOptions was launched in 2015 by UMass Medical School, UHealthSolutions and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

This presentation describes a process states may follow to evaluate the feasibility of using its assessment data — through the Minimum Data Set Home Care tool — to measure quality outcomes for older adults and people with disabilities who live in the community.

Direct care workforce shortages, increasing health care costs, and limited access to services force many families to make life-changing decisions to care for family members with long term disabilities, or who are chronically ill at home. This technical report features an analysis of current Massachusetts state policies and programs for respite services.

Republican-led health reform has arisen once again and could very well pass after July 4. In STAT, our health policy analyst Rachel Gershon describes why the Senate health care bill would make the individual health insurance market

less equitable and affordable, causing approximately 22 million people to lose coverage.

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides critical federal funding to the Massachusetts Medicaid program. On September 30, 2017 CHIP will expire without re-authorization from Congress. This would not only impact children's healthcare in Massachusetts, but have effects on broader health policy as well.

Health plans are ramping up efforts to connect with their members, with the growth of member outreach and engagement filling a significant gap in today’s health care system. Read this issue brief to learn best practices that boost outreach and improve outcomes.

The House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) on May 4, providing the most comprehensive picture yet of what Republican health reform might look like. The Congressional Budget Office cost estimate was released May 24, noting that the bill would lead to 23 million uninsured by 2026 and cut $834 billion in federal support for Medicaid over 10 years. What should state policy makers know about potential effects of AHCA on their state? 

Learn about interventions that employ community health workers to improve health outcomes for select patient groups while containing costs. UMass staff constructed  models to focus on specific health issues, such as diabetes and asthma, in particular regions in Maine.

In October of 2014, the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 was reformed - making the regulations around the prescription of hydrocodone combination products more strict. The research in this article was presented at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s in 2016, and investigates the effects of this change on claims for HCPs in the Medicaid population before and after October 2014.