Partners HealthCare Logo
photos
What is Partners?
Annual Report
Giving and Development
Community Benefits
 
Search:
 


About Community Benefit Programs

Health Insurance for Everyone

Addressing Health Care Disparities and the Needs of Special Populations

Partnering with Community Health Centers – High Quality, Cost Effective Care in the Right Place

Improving the Health of Low Income Women and Their Families

Caring for Women and Children Affected by Domestic Violence

Preventing and Responding to Substance Abuse Among Young People in Charlestown and Revere

Creating Economic Opportunity for Low-Income Boston Residents

Community Partners


 

Health Insurance for Everyone

On April 12, 2006, Massachusetts’ landmark law to cover the uninsured went into effect. Over the next few years, more than 90 percent of the half million men, women and children who are currently uninsured will have insurance of some kind: publicly funded, subsidized, and unsubsidized more affordable private insurance:

    • About 85,000 residents will be enrolled into MassHealth programs over the next three years (as of April 30, 2007, 61,000 people had been enrolled)

    • 60,000 individuals with incomes less than the federal poverty level ($10,212 for an individual, $20,652 for a family of four) will receive fully subsidized coverage by the state (as of June 1, 59,700 people had signed up for this coverage)

    • 100,000 low income residents with family incomes up to three times the federal poverty level will receive sliding-scale premium assistance with no deductibles (as of June 1, 19,900 people had enrolled)

    • The new Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Connector will provide access to new affordable health insurance products for approximately 200,000 middle and higher-income individuals who are currently uninsured (coverage in this program begins July 1, 2007)

Over the past five years, the number of patients without health insurance served at Partners hospitals has nearly doubled from 21,000 in FY2002 to more than 37,000 in FY2006. In collaboration with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Partners worked closely with health care coverage advocates, other hospitals, health centers, business association leaders, and our own physicians, nurses, and other caregivers, to support then Governor Romney’s and Massachusetts Legislature’s efforts to create this health reform plan that will expand coverage for the uninsured, help to control costs, improve quality, and ensure that publicly funded health care costs are adequately reimbursed.

As the provisions of health care reform are implemented, Partners is participating in and anticipating the impact of each new component on patient access and provider operations. In addition to communicating these changes to providers across the Partners system, Partners staff are collaborating with hospital leadership to ensure a coordinated outreach strategy that will inform patients about new coverage options. Partners will also closely monitor the long term effects of health care reform changes, including identifying areas and finding solutions for patients who might continue to have no coverage options, for example, undocumented immigrants.


    www.massachusettshealthreform.org

 

© Copyright 2007 Partners HealthCare System, Inc.

 
Home
Sitemap
Contact Us
Privacy & Disclaimer
Shuttle Shcedule