Massachusetts' progress towards health insurance for all stalls

September 24, 2018 Massachusetts' progress towards health insurance for all stalls Massachusetts continues to lead the nation in making sure all its residents have health insurance, but progress has stalled. Further, some communities of color continue to encounter obstacles to getting health insurance and still see higher levels of uninsurance compared with the state overall. The new Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) brief, Losing Momentum: March towards health insurance for all Massachusetts residents stalls, finds that 19,000 fewer Massachusetts residents had health insurance in 2017 than in 2016 - a 0.3 percentage point decrease. A similar trend emerges when breaking the data down by race and ethnicity, and Latinx and Black or African American residents faced higher rates of uninsurance in 2017, suggesting obstacles to coverage. About 4.8 percent of Black or African American residents had no health insurance while 5.5 percent of Latinx residents had no health insurance - almost double the percentage of all residents without health insurance, 2.8 percent. Read the full report here. The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MassBudget) produces policy research, analysis, and data-driven recommendations focused on improving the lives of low- and middle-income children and adults, strengthening our state's economy, and enhancing the quality of life in Massachusetts. MASSACHUSETTS BUDGET AND POLICY CENTER 15 COURT SQUARE, SUITE 700 BOSTON, MA 02108

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, 15 Court Square,Suite 700, Boston, MA 02108