Lower-income residents in the Commonwealth faced with spending a growing proportion of income on out-of-pocket health care costs, per a new analysis from the HPC examining data between 2015 – 2017.

The HPC and DPH, in collaboration with other state agencies, launch MassUP, a new investment program to address “upstream” causes of poor health outcomes and health disparities in Massachusetts

Commissioners also discussed HPC’s future work to analyze the impact of COVID-19 to support the Commonwealth’s policy response, and new MassUP investments targeting disparities

Commissioners will discuss key updates on priority policy areas including out-of-network billing and the scope of the nurse practitioner workforce in Massachusetts

HPC finds the number of virtual patient visits doubled in 2017, but overall use was well below the U.S. rate; recommends urgent policy action to expand access

Recommends greater accountability and oversight of health care providers, health plans, and the pharmaceutical market; urges scrutiny of outpatient care as well as strategies to improve primary and behavioral health care access

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission’s investment programs find significant reduction in infant length of stay, improved care for mothers and infants affected by opioid use disorder

Research shows wide variation in payments for emergency, radiology, anesthesiology, and pathology procedures

Opioid-related hospital use in Massachusetts declined for the first time this decade between 2016 and 2017, but disparities by geography, race, and income persist