Massachusetts Health Insurance

How healthy is living in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts is ranked among the top ten states in 10 of 22 categories measured in the 2008 ranking of the healthiest states by the United Health Foundation. Not surprisingly, it's also close to the top in the overall ranking, moving up three spots from #9 in 2007 to #6 this year.

The good news:

• As in 2007, Massachusetts was rated Number One in four areas of measurement. The state had the lowest percentage (7.9) of population lacking health insurance, the best rate of occupational fatalities (3.3 per 100,000), best ranking for access to primary care physicians (189.1 per 100,000 population) and best rate for geographic disparity &nash; the variation among mortality rates among the state's counties.
• Only one state did better in each of two other measurements. Massachusetts was rated second on its prevalence of obesity and for its rating on years lost to premature death.
• The percentage of children in poverty decreased from 13.6 to 17.1 percent from 2007 the previous year.
• Also on the decline: the percentage of Massachusetts children in poverty and the incidence of infectious disease.

The bad news:

• While the state wasn't ranked among the bottom ten states in any category in 2008, it was ranked low for the prevalence of binge drinking. Its ranking at 39 pointed noted that 17.7 percent of the state's adult population had drunken excessively in the previous 30 days.
• The study noted that Massachusetts' ranking in the category measuring the percentage of children in poverty also dropped as the percentage increased from 13.6 percent in 2007 to 17.1 percent in 2008.

The state's best and worst category rankings:

• Lack of health insurance – 1st
• Number of primary care physicians – 1st
• Geographic disparity – 1st
• Occupational fatalities – 1st
• Prevalence of obesity – 2nd
• Premature death – 2nd
• Prevalence of smoking – 4th
• Infant mortality – 4th
• Immunization coverage – 8th
• Cardiovascular deaths – 9th
• Prevalence of binge drinking – 39th

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on Massachusetts.

Does Massachusetts have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

No, Massachusetts does not offer a risk pool for its citizen's who are medically-uninsurable.

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state-to-state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the poolto keep it in the black. In the best cases they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Find more on risk pools here.

Mini-meds a guaranteed-issue option for those who are medically uninsurable

An option for the medically uninsurable is a guaranteed-issue mini-med health insurance plan. There is no underwriting and no health questions are asked.

These plans provide basic coverage but are not designed to help with catastrophic expenses. They can often count as creditable coverage, eliminating the waiting period for pre-existing conditions if you later move to an employer-based plan. Read more here.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in Massachusetts

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• Cover The Uninsured's facts on the uninsured in Massachusetts and all other states.
• Its guide on how to find health insurance in Massachusetts.
• Materiales En Español – Guías para encontrar cobertura de seguro de salud.

USNews health insurance rankings for Massachusetts

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in Massachusetts.

Official State Goverment Sites with Massachusetts Health Insurance Information

State-provided info on health insurance -- from the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. Includes info on the Massachusetts Health Care Reform law, under which all citizens 18 and over are required to purchase insurance.

MassHealth Services -- MassHealth pays for health care for certain low- and medium-income people living in the state, including a program for individuals who are HIV positive. MassHealth also manages the Insurance Partnership for small businesses, the Children's Medical Security Plan, Healthy Start, and the Special Kids/Special Care Pilot Program, cosponsored with the Department of Social Services.

Children's Medical Security Plan -- for children under the age of 19 who are Massachusetts residents at any income level, who do not qualify for MassHealth (except MassHealth Limited), and who are uninsured.