The MassHealth Demonstration Extension 20222027: Building on Success, Focusing on Equity

Massachusetts administers much of MassHealth through an 1115 Demonstration waiver, approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which it has extended several times since it was originally approved in 1995. On September 28, 2022, CMS approved Massachusetts' request for a five-year extension of its Demonstration, which is in effect from October 1, 2022 through December 31, 2027. While the latest approved Demonstration largely aims to continue and improve upon the programs and initiatives that were part of the previous Demonstration, an area of specific focus within this extension is advancing health equity within the MassHealth program. As part of this, MassHealth seeks to promote health equity by both building on current program elements and introducing new strategies such as investing in certain populations that experience persistent health disparities and creating incentives for ACOs and hospitals to measure and reduce health disparities.This report and accompanying infographic describe the approved MassHealth Demonstration extension, what it means for MassHealth coverage moving forward, and implications for members, providers, and Massachusetts

Churn: What It Is, and What We Are Doing About It

This presentation to grantees of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation\u27s Connecting Consumers with Care program explains the phenomena of health insurance churn, which are disruptions in coverage

A Medicaid compromise expanded coverage for Hoosiers, but important questions linger

In today’s polarized political environment, it is easy to forget that most policy decisions are not black or white, but rather some indeterminate shade of gray. A case in point is Indiana’s Medicaid waiver, which the federal government just approved for a three-year extension

Payment reform for kids

Comprehensive care for children – including greater attention to behavioral health, socio-emotional development, and strong family relationships – may hold the key to lifelong health and well-being. With this premise, a group in Connecticut has just published recommendations for improving pediatric primary care through payment reform

MassHealth: The Basics - Facts, Trends and National Context

This updated June 2012 report provides an overview of MassHealth, the Massachusetts state Medicaid program, eligibility and enrollment information, spending growth statistics, and cost drivers analysis. Client/Partner: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundatio

Evaluating the State Basic Health Program in Connecticut

The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) offers states many options and alternatives for tailoring national health reform to best meet their specific needs. The ACA’s State Basic Health Program (SBHP) option affords states an opportunity to design a program for low-income individuals that offers better continuity of care at a lower cost, while providing a financial benefit to the state. This issue brief examines the factors that Connecticut should take into account in assessing the potential benefits of a SBHP. This analysis relies on the parameters of a SBHP as described in the ACA. The federal government has not yet issued key regulations – delineating, for example, what is the minimum benefits package that must be covered in a SBHP, or exactly how funds will flow to states – that will affect the potential cost and coverage of the SBHP option. The analysis presented here is based on existing information, acknowledging that the federal guidance may narrow the range of options available to the state. This issue brief was presented to the Connecticut State Legislature on January 31, 2012. An update to this January 2012 Research Brief was published on April 4, 2012. Client/Partner: Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticu

The Basic Health Program: What would it mean for Connecticut?

This presentation provides highlights of a research brief released by the Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut. The research brief includes more detail about the State Basic Health Program (SBHP), the analysis, and citations to data sources. Client/Partner: Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticu

How Proposed HUSKY Cuts Will Harm Low-Income Families

An analysis of proposed Medicaid changes in Connecticut was conducted by our health policy experts. Using research literature and the recent experience of other states, we estimated the number of persons who would be left uninsured if the proposal is implemented, and discussed effects on access to care for parents, pregnant women, and children

A general variational principle for spherically symmetric perturbations in diffeomorphism covariant theories

We present a general method for the analysis of the stability of static, spherically symmetric solutions to spherically symmetric perturbations in an arbitrary diffeomorphism covariant Lagrangian field theory. Our method involves fixing the gauge and solving the linearized gravitational field equations to eliminate the metric perturbation variable in terms of the matter variables. In a wide class of cases--which include f(R) gravity, the Einstein-aether theory of Jacobson and Mattingly, and Bekenstein's TeVeS theory--the remaining perturbation equations for the matter fields are second order in time. We show how the symplectic current arising from the original Lagrangian gives rise to a symmetric bilinear form on the variables of the reduced theory. If this bilinear form is positive definite, it provides an inner product that puts the equations of motion of the reduced theory into a self-adjoint form. A variational principle can then be written down immediately, from which stability can be tested readily. We illustrate our method in the case of Einstein's equation with perfect fluid matter, thereby re-deriving, in a systematic manner, Chandrasekhar's variational principle for radial oscillations of spherically symmetric stars. In a subsequent paper, we will apply our analysis to f(R) gravity, the Einstein-aether theory, and Bekenstein's TeVeS theory.Comment: 13 pages; submitted to Phys. Rev. D. v2: changed formatting, added conclusion, corrected sign convention