April 12th marked the 19th anniversary of Chapter 58, the historic 2006 Massachusetts health care reform law and the model for the Affordable Care Act (ACA). At Health Care for All (HCFA), we’re reflecting on Chapter 58’s impact and how we can apply lessons from its passage in the current landscape.
Signed into law by Governor Mitt Romney, Chapter 58 expanded coverage to over 400,000 previously uninsured Massachusetts residents. The law also created the Health Connector, which administered a new subsidized health insurance program, Commonwealth Care (now ConnectorCare) and expanded Medicaid eligibility for certain populations, among dozens of other reforms. Through implementation and steady improvements over time, Massachusetts continues to have the lowest uninsured rate in the country at under 2%. In addition to the coverage gains, Chapter 58 also helped advance critical policy discussions about health disparities and the quality of care.
An accomplishment of this magnitude doesn’t simply happen overnight. It takes perseverance, dedication, strategy and perhaps most importantly, collaboration among a diverse group of stakeholders. HCFA worked with strong partners in the MassACT! Campaign and the ACT!! Coalition to advocate for and defend Chapter 58. Organizations and individuals representing a broad cross-section of interests – from hospitals and other health care providers to faith communities to labor to consumers and more – made a commitment to improving access to health coverage and care for individuals and families across the Commonwealth. This collective vision pushed the law from concept to reality.
In this challenging environment, we are taking a moment to reflect on the lessons learned from Chapter 58. The law – and its influence on the ACA – has had significant impacts on the lives of individuals and families in Massachusetts and across the United States. Impending federal health care cuts threaten to unravel these coverage gains and require an equal, if not greater, level of collaboration that led to the passage of Chapter 58. In that spirit, HCFA, along with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, co-convenes the Massachusetts Coalition for Coverage and Care. A broad group of over 100 organizations committed to protecting the gains to health coverage, access to care and health equity in Massachusetts, this coalition includes many of the same partners from passage of Chapter 58. On the 19th anniversary of Massachusetts health reform, we invite your organization to join us in this effort by contacting Suzanne Curry at scurry@hcfama.org.
Davis Jackson is Health Care For All’s Communications & Marketing Manager.