Summary of Health Care Outcomes: Does Massachusetts Lead the Nation?

The recent assessment of the Massachusetts health care reform, released April 12 by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation is a quick read and well worth perusing by people outside the state. Because Massachusetts anticipated much of the US health care reform effort, this report gives us a glimpse of what can happen in the country as a whole when the provisions of the federal law fully take effect.

There's lots of good news: nearly everyone in the state has some insurance now, fewer people report "significant out-of-pocket health expenses," and the bill is popular. It is supported by nearly all physicians, most employers, and two-thirds of state residents as a whole.

The downside, of course, is the cost. More people have trouble paying for care, which seems to clash with the statistic on lower out-of-pocket expenses. The culprit is probably the rise in premiums and the backing off of employers, who are paying for less of the cost of their plans. And I refuse to blame rising costs on the health care bill; it's a worldwide phenomenon.