CHIA RELEASES 2023 MASSACHUSETTS HEALTH INSURANCE SURVEY RESULTS

DATE: June 27, 2024

The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) today published summary results from the 2023 Massachusetts Health Insurance Survey (MHIS). The MHIS is a statewide, population-based survey to track and monitor health insurance coverage, health care access and use, and health care affordability in the Commonwealth. In addition, MHIS data is used by CHIA in analyses of health equity in Massachusetts, with a focus on racial, ethnic, and economic equity for residents and their families.

While Massachusetts residents continue to have a high rate of insurance coverage (98.3%), access and affordability issues continue to persist across all groups regardless of age, sex, race, ethnicity, health status, or family income. The MHIS survey results provide a detailed look at the issues faced by Massachusetts residents.

In the 2023 survey, new questions on primary care, telehealth, and behavioral health were included to capture data on the changing post-pandemic health care landscape. The 2023 MHIS was fielded from April through August 2023.

Key Findings:

• Nearly all Massachusetts residents—98.3%—reported having insurance. Uninsured residents in Massachusetts were disproportionately adults aged 19 to 64, males, Hispanic residents, and/or residents with a family income below 300% of the federal poverty level.

• Although 90.9% of residents reported having a primary care provider, 41.2% of residents reported difficulties accessing health care.

• A third (34.3%) of residents reported a telehealth visit in the past 12 months. Among residents who did not have a telehealth visit in the past 12 months, the most frequently reported reasons included a preference for in-person visits (61.7%), telehealth not being right for their health needs (27.8%), and telehealth not being offered by their provider (20.6%).

• Despite near universal health insurance coverage in Massachusetts, nearly half of residents (41.3%) reported that they or their families had an issue affording health care, a burden that is greater for non-Hispanic Black residents (48.7%) and Hispanic residents (58.2%).

• Among the 15.0% of Massachusetts residents who reported paying for their most recent mental health care entirely out-of-pocket, the most frequently reported reasons for doing so were that the provider does not accept any health insurance (36.6%) or their preferred provider did not accept their insurance plan (26.8%).

For the first time, the MHIS report also includes an interactive dashboard. This report is also accompanied by a databook, and a survey methodology report which includes the survey questionnaire.

Go to the MHIS webpage for more information on the survey and to see the latest results.