Language barriers pose challenges for dementia patients
For dementia patients who don’t speak English fluently, enrolling in clinical trials can be difficult if not impossible, according to a recent WBUR opinion piece. In an October 12, 2018 article, writer Josh Eibelman detailed the barriers he…
Affordable Care Act weakened but still stable
Republican efforts to chip away at the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have had an impact, but for the most part the insurance marketplaces established by the law are stable, according to analysts. A July 18, 2018 article in…
Employer-sponsored insurance dipped in Massachusetts after ACA
Following implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the share of people insured through employer-sponsored plans dropped 2.3 percentage points in Massachusetts, according to a new study led by Benjamin Sommers, associate professor of health policy and economics…
Medicaid work requirements and health savings accounts may impact people’s coverage, access to care
For immediate release: June 20, 2018 Boston, MA – Current experimental approaches in Medicaid programs—including requirements to pay premiums, contribute to health savings accounts, or to work—may lead to unintended consequences for patient coverage and access, such as…
Affordable Care Act increased health insurance coverage, narrowed disparities for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders
Following the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, the rate of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders without health insurance dropped to 9%—a rate essentially equal to that of whites (8.8%).
Health insurance coverage trends during Trump Administration assessed
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers published an analysis of how health insurance coverage has changed under the Trump Administration in the March 15, 2018 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The authors, Benjamin…
Medicaid expansion linked with better, more timely surgical care
For immediate release: January 24, 2018 Boston, MA – The Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion was linked to better access to surgery and higher quality surgical care, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of…
Medicaid work requirement could lead to deaths
Under a new Trump Administration policy, states can now impose work requirements on able-bodied Medicaid beneficiaries. But critics of the plan say it could lead to deaths among lower-income people who don’t meet the requirement and are pushed…
Robust safety net systems needed for suburban uninsured
With 40% of uninsured Americans now living in the suburbs, policies to address poverty and gaps in healthcare coverage in the U.S.—typically focused on urban and rural communities—are increasingly needed in suburban areas, according to Harvard T.H. Chan…
Health insurance uncertainty could lead to poorer health, more deaths
Efforts by both President Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have created uncertainty in health insurance markets—and ongoing problems for people who want health coverage. Amidst the President’s threats to repeal or…