Due to the increased number of health problems and the tendency towards the deterioration of the situation in the sphere new efficient methods to solve topical issues are needed. For this reason, we could observe the appearance of several new perspectives on the way care and most important services should be provided to patients. Numerous reforms touch upon the major aspects of medical units functioning, medical insurance issues, affordability of care, etc.
These are also focused on better outcomes and gradual improvement of the health of the nation along with the attempts to decrease the cost of treatment and make it affordable for the majority of residents. Because the situation in the US states is not similar, different approaches that take into account the peculiarities of the local community are needed to create an efficient solution. For this reason, the peculiarities of the Massachusetts health care reform are provided and analyzed with the main aim to understand how such alterations impact the state of the health of residents.
The main rationale for the adoption of the given reform was the problematic character of the health insurance coverage in the state (Rapoza, 2012). Consequently, some residents were not able to obtain the needed care and improve the quality of their lives. The tendency towards the deterioration of the situation in Massachusetts contributed to the increased necessity of introducing a certain reform that would be able to enhance the situation and In this regard, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts introduced a health care reform which stated that all residents should obtain at least a minimum level of insurance coverage (Haislmaier, 2006). Moreover, employers became obliged to provide health care insurance for workers to guarantee the preservation of the state of their health.
Nevertheless, there were several amendments to the Act to make it consistent with the latest alteration in the federal policy in the health care sector namely the Affordable Care Act and Obamacare (Rapoza, 2012). Additionally, the given reform presupposed the creation of a specific authority the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector who became responsible for the provisioning of full-price private insurance to residents (Holahan & Blumberg, 2006).
The given act was adopted by the House and Senate and became the part of the federal program aimed at the significant improvement of the state of the nations health (Von Schlegell, n.d.). The implementation of the reform demanded extra funds that were obtained from the reconsideration of the taxation system and shares devoted to the healthcare system (Doonan & Tull, 2010). Moreover, employers were obliged to provide workers with basic insurance, and it also helped to implement the program (Von Schlegell, n.d.).
According to the Massachusetts Department of Healthcare Finance and Policy, the number of uninsured residents decreased from 6% to 2% (“Massachusetts health care reform,” 2012). Moreover, the given reform also contributed to the decrease in the number of people who were not able to obtain healthcare services (“Massachusetts health care reform,” 2012). The statistical data about health insurance also demonstrates the increase in public and free insurance.
For this reason, it is possible to conclude that the given reform turns out to be an efficient way to improve the situation in the sphere and provide people with health insurance. Moreover, it contributes to the enhanced accessibility of the most important services. Altogether, the Massachusetts health care reform has a positive impact on the state of health in the region and suggests some solutions to the most nagging problems.
References
Doonan, M., & Tull, K. (2010). Health care reform in Massachusetts: Implementation of coverage expansions and a health insurance mandate. The Milbank Quarterly, 88(1), 54-80. Web.
Haislmaier, E. (2006). The significance of Massachusetts health reform. Web.
Holahan, J., & Blumberg, L. (2006). Massachusetts health care reform: A look at the issues. Health Affairs, 25(6), 432-443. Web.
Massachusetts health care reform. Six years later. (2012). Web.
Rapoza, K. (2012). If ObamaCare is so bad, how does RomneyCare survive? Forbes. Web.
Von Schlegell, A. (n.d.). The top ten facts about Massachusetts health care reform. Web.