Healthcare costs remain a concern in Massachusetts: 5 findings

While insurance coverage in Massachusetts remains strong, cost was a significant barrier to care in Massachusetts in 2015, according to the Center for Health Information and Analysis' new Massachusetts Health Insurance Survey.

The survey found about 1 in 6 respondents reported an unmet need for healthcare and nearly 1 in 5 reported an unmet need for dental care over the past 12 months due to costs. Furthermore, about 1 in 6 respondents reported difficulty paying family medical bills over the past 12 months. A similar share reported having family medical bills that were being paid off over time.

The survey, fielded between May and August 2015, collected data from more than 5,000 respondents, including 621 children under the age of 18, 3,057 adults ages 19 to 64, and 1,324 people over 65 years old, according to a Boston Herald report.

Here are five other findings from the survey.

1. In 2015, health insurance coverage in Massachusetts was at 96.4 percent of the population. This compares to 90.8 percent nationally, based on early release estimates from the National Health Interview Survey for January through March 2015.

2. Altogether, 89 percent of respondents had a usual source of care and 88.6 percent reported a visit to a general physician or other non-physician practitioner (e.g., physician's assistant or nurse practitioner) over the past 12 months. However, the study found emergency department use (33.6 percent) and difficulties getting an appointment as soon as one was needed (20.9 percent) were fairly common, especially for Hispanics, those with lower incomes and those in fair or poor health with an activity limitation. "These results suggest some persistent barriers to obtaining care in Massachusetts, with more serious challenges for vulnerable populations," the survey authors wrote.

3. Employer-sponsored coverage remains the dominant source of coverage in Massachusetts, accounting for about 60 percent of all insured persons, a similar share as in 2014.

4. Continuity of coverage has become the norm in Massachusetts, with less than 1 in 10 respondents reporting a period without health insurance over the past 12 months, a similar share as in 2014.

5. Among respondents age 50 and older, fewer than 1 in 7 had private long-term care insurance. The most common reason for not having long-term care insurance was the cost of that coverage.

 

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