The impact of Massachusetts health care reform on access, quality, and costs of care for the already-insured.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To assess the impact of Massachusetts Health Reform (MHR) on access, quality, and costs of outpatient care for the already-insured.

Data sources/study setting

Medicare data from before (2006) and after (2009) MHR implementation.

Study design

We performed a retrospective difference-in-differences analysis of quantity of outpatient visits, proportion of outpatient quality metrics met, and costs of care for Medicare patients with ≥ 1 chronic disease in 2006 versus 2009. We used the remaining states in New England as controls.

Data collection/extraction methods

We used existing Medicare claims data provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Principal findings

MHR was not associated with a decrease in outpatient visits per year comp

SUBMITTER: Joynt KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4369224 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature