Whether Massachusetts succeeds in becoming the first state to provide greater access to affordable health care for its residents and reduce overall costs is under close national scrutiny, according to a new report by Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Ratings Services. All eyes are on that state because its plan provides an interesting test case--and perhaps no state is watching the results more closely than California, which has healthcare reform proposals of its own on the table.
The report, Do Massachusetts Health Care Reform and California Proposals Foreshadow a National Plan? shows that so far, feedback on the Massachusetts healthcare reform law’s effectiveness is mixed. However, to date, the law hasn’t caused S&P to take rating action on the commonwealth or any of its stand-alone hospitals or health systems, and healthcare reform is still viewed as credit neutral on the commonwealth’s credit quality.
The report is available to subscribers of RatingsDirect. For more information, call (212) 438-3446.
