News & Publications

Current Publications (2013)

• Enrollment Volatility in MassHealth - This report, co-authored by Robert Seifert and Amanda Littell-Clark, summarizes recent efforts by the Massachusetts Medicaid program to address enrollment volatility. (April 2013)
• New Churn Report:  Health Care For All Blog - This Blog highlights the report co-authored by Robert Seifert and Amanda Littell-Clark, Enrollment in Volatility and the Improvements in MassHealth.  This report highlights several challenges MassHealth can work on to improve enrollment volatility.  (April 2013)
• LTCFAC Report in new AARP Study - A March 2013 AARP report on Home Community-Based Services in the 50 states referenced two documents that were co-authored by the State of Massachusetts and the Center for Health Law and Economics (CHLE): Long-term Supports in Massachusetts: A Profile of Service Users (April 2009) and Securing the Future (November 2010).
• CHLE Staff have written a report on the impact of the new budget proposal on 37,500 low-income working parents in Connecticut.  Tighter eligibility requirements effective in 2014 will impact those currently insured under Medicaid (called HUSKY in Connecticut).  Higher out-of-pocket costs may prevent up to 11,000 parents from affording health insurance.  See Full Report.  (March 2013)
• Katharine London, Michael Grenier, Robert Seifert, and Tom Friedman authored a report, Vermont Health Care Financing Plan Beginning Calendar Year 2017, together with Wakely Consulting Group.  This report develops models for a single payer health reform plan and a number of alternative scenarios for the Vermont Agency of Administration, and estimates health care coverage and costs under each. (January 2013)
• Robert Seifert provided an update on law and his analysis of the road ahead for the Affordable Care Act. (January 2013)

Publications (2012)

• Robert Seifert wrote an analysis, Trends in Federal Revenue to Support MassHealth, which summarizes data from the past decade on federal Medicaid revenue received by the state. (October 2012)
• Robert Seifert and Rachel Gershon co-authored Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012:  Implications for MassHealth in conjunction with the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation, presented at the October 1, 2012 event.  This report examines key components of the most recent Massachusetts health reform law law and how this law will affect the annual spending benchmark.  (October 2012)
• On September 10, 2012, Julia Feldman presented, Practicing Health Law in an Era of Reform.  Boston College Law School Health Law Series. 
• Senior staff worked with the New Hampshire Insurance Department to examine the variation in hospital prices among New Hampshire hospitals.  CHLE found there was a limited relationship between hospital's public payer mix and its level of commercial prices, but noted that prices varied considerably from one hospital to another.  The study concluded commercial prices are more heavily influenced by the cost of care and the relative acuity of the patients being treated than they are by public payer shortfalls.  The report can be found at:   http://www.nh.gov/insurance/lah/documents/umms.pdf
• Jean Sullivan, Director of CHLE and Robert Seifert presented at the Kaiser Media Fellowships Program which sponsored an educational forum for 20 local and national journalists to educate them on Medicaid, the MassHealth waiver and cost containment as well as the Affordable Care Act and the Supreme Court's impeding decision due in late June.   MassHealth, the Massachusetts Medicaid Program (May 2012)
• Julia Feldman presented to the Massachusetts Bar Association on Health Reform.  http://massbar.mediasite.com/mediasite/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=414ffa1966c9442bb8d845da963133151d (April 2012)
• Robert Seifert participated in a panel discussion on the Affordable Care Act at the Boston University Medical School which was sponsored by the BU Medicine and Public Health Student Association.  (April 2012)
• Katharine London was interviewed in a CT Health Foundation Blog post on the research she and Robert Seifert conducted on a State Basic Health Program for the State of Connecticut.  http://www.cthealth.org/blog/advocacy-in-action-a-focus-on-process-for-a-state-basic-health-program  (April 2012)
• Katharine London and Robert Seifert authored "Evaluating the State Basic Health Program in Connecticut," on behalf of the Legal Assistance Resource Center of Connecticut which was presented to the Connecticut State Legislature on January 31.  An update to the January 2012 Research Brief was published on April 4, 2012  Issues in Consideration of a Basic Health Program for Connecticut.  Read more on CT News Junkie and The CT Mirror.  (January 2012) 
• Katharine London presented The Basic Health Program What Would it Would it Mean for Connecticut? to the Business Plan Work Group of the Connecticut Governor's Health Care Cabinet in Hartford, CT (April 2012)
• Robert Seifert led a panel to discuss the report, "Stabilizing MassHealth Funding:  Options to Break the Recurring Cycle of Expansion and Contraction"  at the March 14, 2012 MMPI forum.  (March 2012)
• Katharine London and Robert Seifert presented The Basic Health Program What Would it Mean for Connecticut? to the Connecticut Health Foundation at their quarterly meeting in Hartford, CT  (March 2012)
• The Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) released Stabilizing MassHealth Funding:  Options to Break the Recurring Cycle of Expansion and Contraction, co-written by Robert Seifert. The policy brief discusses the challenges and implications of the Medicaid program, including options for reducing the reactive swings in MassHealth funding and services that coincide with downturns in the economy.  (February 2012)
• Katharine London and Robert Seifert presented The Basic Health Program What Would it Mean for Connecticut?  Presented in the Connecticut Legislative Offices. (January 2012)

Publications (2011)

• The Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) released MassHealth:  The Basics, written by Robert Seifert and Andrew Cohen, includes MassHealth facts, trends and national context.  Also re-released by MMPI is CHLE's February 2011 report, The Basics of MassHealth, written by Robert Seifert and Stephanie Anthony. (October 2011)
• Robert Seifert comments on safety-net hospital use study in WBUR's CommonHealth Blog  An Archives of Internal Medicine study found that Massachusetts patients still choose to get care at safety-net hospitals and community health centers, even after health care reform implementation. Seifert comments on the findings. (August 2011)
• A Boston Globe article published on June 14, 2011, Red tape cited in health gap for young, reports on the many children in Massachusetts who are still uninsured, despite the state's universal insurance law. The findings are supported by the Center's April 2010 report, Enrollment and Disenrollment in MassHealth and Commonwealth Care. (June 2011)
• The Massachusetts Long-Term Care Financing Advisory Committee has released its report, Securing the Future, recommending reforms to the ways individuals, families and the Commonwealth pay for long-term care services and supports. (April 2011)
• Update March 2011 - Pilots, Demos, Grants PPACA by Andrew Cohen 
• Jean C. Sullivan, CHLE Director, addressed the National Association of Reimbursement Officers (NARO) in a nationally broadcast webinar for Medicaid Directors and reimbursement officers called, Federal Health Care Reform, So Far: Overview and Reflections.  (February 2011)
• Principal Associates, Robert Seifert and Stephanie Anthony provided MMPI with an updated fact sheet, The Basics of MassHealth  (February 2011) 
• Robert Seifert spoke on The PPACA Overview of Implementation 2010-2011 to the HFMA Revenue Cycle Conference.  (January 2011)
• Katharine London provided significant program management to Connecticut's SustiNet Health Partnership Board of Directors which issued its Final Report to the Connecticut General Assembly.  (January 2011)

Publications (2010)

• CHLE's Robert Seifert and Andrew Cohen were part of the Bailit Health Purchasing team that assisted Maine's Advisory Council for Health System Design write the report, Options and Opportunities for Implementing the Affordable Care Act in Maine posted on Maine's website.  (December 2010)
•  A report for Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts, Re-Forming Reform:  What the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Mean for Massachusetts    examines how national health care reform impacts Massachusetts, by Robert Seifert and Andrew Cohen (June 2010).
  Report      
  Presentation
• Katharine London, Principal Associate, presented at the UMMS Graduate School of Nursing Alumni Association Graduation Breakfast National Health Reform:  Implications for Massachusetts    (June 2010).
• A report for MMPI, Enrollment and Disenrollment in MassHealth and Commonwealth Care, examines the phenomenon of enrollees cycling on and off state health insurance programs, specifically MassHealth and Commonwealth Care, by Robert W. Seifert  (April 2010).

Commonwealth Medicine's Perspective in Health Care Speaker Series 2010 - 2013

• Don Goldmann, MD (March 2013)
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• David Bluementhal, MD (December 2012)
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• John McDonough, Dr.P.H., M.P.A.  (November 2012)
• Martha Bebinger (June 2012)
• Eugene Lindsey, MD (June 2012)
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• Andrew Dreyfus (May 2012)
  Presentation
• Steve Larsen, J.D., M.A. (November 2011)
• Howard Gleckman, B.A. (May 2011)
  Presentation
  Video
• Mark McClellan, MD, Ph.D. (April 2011)
  Presentation
  Video
• Peter Harbage, MPP (March 2011)
  Presentation
  Video
• Jon M. Kingsdale, Ph.D. (February 2011)
  Presentation
  Video
• Elizabeth A. McGlynn, Ph.D. (January 2011)
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  Video
• Frances Miller, J.D. (November 2010)
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• Cathy Schoen, M.S. (October 2010)
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  Audio
• Stuart Altman, Ph.D. (September 2010)
  Presentation
  Video

Appointments

• Stephanie Anthony and Robert Seifert were appointed to be members of the Federal Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight's Objective Review Committee for Cooperative Agreements to support Establishment of State-Operated Health Insurance Exchanges.  (July 2011)
• Julia Feldman, J.D. and Principal Associate, was asked to chair the Organization and Governance Committee of the American Health Lawyers Association's Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Task Force.  (December, 2010)

Past Publications (2007-2009)

• Stephanie Anthony contributed to Community Health Workers in Massachusetts:  Improving Health Care and Public Health, which was released at a State House event.  Both she and Jean Sullivan were part of the advisory council that produced the report.    (December 2009).
• An analysis for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation called National Health Care Reform and Its Impact on Massachusetts, written by Senior Staff   (October 2009)
• A presentation to the New England Minority Health Conference called Raising Awareness and Making Change through Public-Private Partnerships:  Lessons Learned from a Statewide Community Health Worker Advisory Council in Massachusetts, co-authored and presented by Stephanie Anthony, JD, MPH and Gail Hirsch, M.Ed., Massachusetts DPH.    (October 2009)
• Community Catalyst issue brief called Paying for Better Care: A Consumer Advocate’s Reference Guide to Payment Reform, co-authored by Robert W. Seifert (August 2009).
• A report for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation called Shared Responsibility:  Government, Business, and Individuals:  Who Pays What for Health Care Reform? was presented at a Foundation event at the State House.  Written by Robert W. Seifert and Paul Swoboda    (March 2009)
• Issue Brief presentation at a Massachusetts Health Policy Forum called The MassHealth Waiver: 2009-2011 .... and Beyond, written and presented by Stephanie Anthony  (February 2009).
       Issue Brief
       Presentation at Forum  
• Issue brief for MMPI called The Basics of MassHealth, written by Robert W. Seifert   (September 2008).
• A report for Community Catalyst called Special Delivery: How Coordinated Care Programs Can Improve Quality and Save Costs, co-authored by Robert W. Seifert   (May 2009).
• A report for Community Catalyst called Saving Money by Improving Medicaid, co-authored by Robert W. Seifert   (January 2009).
• A report for Community Catalyst called Getting What We Pay For: Reducing Wasteful Medical Spending, co-authored by Robert W. Seifert   (December 2008)
• EOHHS Division of Health Care Finance and Policy's Massachusetts Employer Health Insurance Survey 2007 Report, with contributions from Robert W. Seifert    (June 2008).
• A report for MMPI called The Outlook for Medicaid in Massachusetts, co-authored by Jean C. Sullivan    (March 2007).
  

Teachings/Tutorials

• Jean Sullivan, CHLE Director, was a guest lecturer to PhD sgtudents presenting "Federal and State Health Care Reform Overview and Reflections" in Professor Anne Kane's Critical Health Policy Issues Seminar at the Graduate School of Nursing.  (April 2012)
• Jean Sullivan, J.D., participated in a panel discussion entitled "The Changed Health Care Landscape States Now Face" at the National Lieutenant Governors Association Federal-States Relations Meeting in Washington, D.C.  Ms. Sullivan focused her portion of the discussion on ACOs, health exchanges and the challenge of uninsured populations, with or without ACA.  She also spoke on the looming challenge of long-term care costs and the increasing demand for services and supports to a population that will often have long periods of functional impairments at the end of life, which will require a new way of public financing and support.  This is particularly relevant in light of the demise of the CLASS Act and retreat of the Long-term Care insurance market.  (March 2012) 
• Stephanie Anthony facilitated groups of third year medical students about key health policy issues in Health Policy and the Practice of Medicine Inter-clerkship at the Medical School. (January 2012)
• Jean Sullivan presented as a Guest Lecturer to PhD students "Massachusetts Health Care Reform" in Professor Kane's Ph.D. Seminar in Health Policy, at the Graduate School of Nursing.  (March 2010)
• NESCSO Tutorial, titled Introduction to Medicaid by Stephanie Anthony    (April 2009).
• NESCSO Tutorial, titled Legal Framework for the Medicaid Program by Jean C. Sullivan   (August 2008).

Quotes

• A Boston Globe article published on June 14, 2011, Red tape cited in health gap for young, reports on the many children in Massachusetts who are still uninsured, despite the state's universal insurance law.  The findings are supported by the Center's April 2010 report, Enrollment and Disenrollment in MassHealth and Commonwealth Care. (June 2011)
• The CT Mirror quotes Katharine London in the Public Weighs in on SustiNet Plan.  Members of the public got their chance to weigh in on the SustiNet plan this week, and their questions and comments offered a hint at what could lie ahead as policymakers attempt to create a public health insurance plan for the state.  Katharine London described SustiNet as a publicly run health insurance plan intended to rein in costs, promote wellness and make better use of the $7 billion the state spends on health care. (December 2010).
• The Boston Globe West, Health tax may wallop towns quotes Robert Seifert on the tax of high cost health care plans.  (April 2010).
• The article in the Boston Business Journal, Lawmakers may stall on health-cost relief quotes Robert Seifert on the impact of raising insurance premiums on small businesses.  (February 2010).
• Hospital Execs React to AG's Report on Health Care quotes Katharine London, who discusses the need to develop an evaluation system to measure care.  (February 2010)
• Health Campaign Aims to Enroll Uninsured Youth in Massachusetts presented by Robert Seifert in regards to the communites where the uninsured children are currently living according to the Census.  (February 2010).
• The Boston Sunday Globe article, US health overhaul could penalize Mass. quotes Robert Seifert and the CHLE staffs' analysis on Health Care Reform and Its Impact on Massachusetts.  (November 2009).
• Mass. Docs Fret Over Health Care Reform, Robert Seifert discusses the potential impact that national health care reform might have on health care providers in Massachusetts.   (December 2009).
• An article in State Health Watch: The Newsletter on State Health Care Reform quotes Robert W. Seifert, explaining the effects of budget cuts on Medicaid recipients   (March 2009).
• Commonwealth Medicine's VISION Newsletter highlights The BCBS of Massachusetts Foundation's Report written by Robert Seifert and Paul Swoboda   (May/June 2009).