Health Policy

This fact sheet presents a summary of the effects of Chapter 58 of the Acts of 2006, “An Act Providing Access To Affordable, Quality, Accountable Health Care, as reported in the many studies that have focused on Massachusetts’ reform. This high-level review summarizes the findings in various categories, including insurance coverage, access to care, health care utilization, and affordability for consumers. The authors also developed a full bibliography as a companion to the fact sheet.

The Listening Project, a signature activity of AcademyHealth’s Translation and Dissemination Institute, seeks to identify the most pressing research needs of leaders in health policy and health care delivery for the coming three to five years. Its goal is to foster greater interaction among the producers, funders, and users of health services and policy research (HSR) and spur the production and use of timely, relevant evidence to improve health and health care.

As their responsibility for health policy making grows, states are pursuing a variety of strategies for getting the research and analytical assistance they need, including expanding their relationships with university-based health services research and policy analysis programs. These collaborations raise a number of questions about the fit between states’ analytic needs and universities’ interest and capacity, and about the appropriate role of the university research organization in the often highly politicized state environment.