BCBSMA Foundation Report Focuses on Tools to Improve Access, Affordability
BOSTON — A new report commissioned by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) Foundation details the regulatory and policy tools used for statewide health-services planning, explores how the tools interact, and identifies gaps that might need to be filled to achieve a complete and comprehensive process that addresses persistent challenges in access, affordability, and equity.
The report, produced by health policy expert Robert Seifert, finds that, despite Massachusetts’ leadership in healthcare access and outcomes, systemic pressures have exposed the limitations of allowing access to healthcare services to be determined largely by market forces rather than coordinated planning. These pressures have been exacerbated by high costs, provider shortages, and recent disruptions such as hospital closures, among other factors.
“Barriers to healthcare access and affordability affect many people across Massachusetts, especially communities of color, and recent challenges and crises have exposed the shortcomings of the state’s healthcare system,” said Audrey Shelto, president and CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. “This report provides a detailed overview of the health-planning landscape at a time when policymakers and administrators are exploring how to improve the allocation of resources through thoughtful, statewide planning.”
The report reviews the set of tools Massachusetts currently uses to address healthcare system capacity, population health, cost growth, and workforce needs. These range from the determination-of-need regulatory process for healthcare facilities originating in the 1970s to cost and market impact reviews and community health assessments, to the Office of Health Resource Planning, which was recently created within the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission. This new office is charged with developing a five-year state health plan, including assessments of healthcare resource supply and capacity in relation to projected needs.
The report notes that, while Massachusetts has not yet achieved an optimal statewide health planning system, it does have some of the building blocks for it. Several elements are currently absent, including clearly defined statewide and regional goals, reflecting public priorities related to the distribution of healthcare resources; an overarching structure, led by a state agency, for stakeholder input and local community involvement; a focus on how to meet future needs, in addition to how best to respond to current concerns; a mechanism for monitoring, reviewing, and updating priorities; and a stronger focus on the healthcare system beyond hospitals.
The report, titled “State Health Planning to Improve Access to Care in Massachusetts: Needs and Current Tools,” is available online by clicking here.
The foundation will hold a webinar to discuss the findings of the report on Wednesday, May 28 from 11 a.m. to noon. The webinar will feature remarks from the Health Policy Commission focused on the recently enacted law that established the Office of Health Resource Planning. Click here to register.