More Mass. Residents Have Health Coverage, But Rising Costs Remain A Problem

In its third year, the state’s health coverage law is giving more residents access to affordable care, but there are problems.

A survey supported by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation finds that adults in Massachusetts, especially low income adults, were more likely to have preventive medical and dental care visits last year than in 2007, and more likely to have multiple visits.

But Sharon Long with the Urban Institute, which conducted the study, says more people report trouble getting follow-up care including appointments with specialists or medical tests.

"The problems were more serious for low-income adults and for adults on public coverage," Long explains. "When we look at unmet need for care, it is higher among low income, than among higher income adults."

Long says rising health care costs are eroding progress on affordable care. But Long says a special commission on health care payments shows has the potential to address that problem.

The study is published in the policy journal Health Affairs.