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Analysis of Health Care System Initiatives in MA and SF, CA (Function, Cost, Outcome)
Analysis of Health Care System Initiatives in MA and SF, CA (Function, Cost, Outcome)
initiatives in terms of function, cost and outcome. Based on the narrative in the
text, and information you can find on the Internet, do you think they should be
This essay will analyze the new healthcare system initiatives in the state of
Massachusetts and San Francisco, CA, with respect to the Massachusetts healthcare
reform law and the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance. This essay will
analyze these initiatives in terms of function, cost and outcome, and argue that they
should be replicated in other parts of the country, although care should be taken to
Massachusetts
The Massachusetts healthcare reform law (2006) provides health insurance to all its
residents, and ensures free or subsidized insurance for residents earning less than
300% of federal poverty level, while also mandating employers to provide healthcare
insurance. In terms of function, the healthcare reform law aims to ensure equitable,
outcome, this has led to high rates of health coverage, and has ensured that an
The extent of coverage by these new health initiatives were eventually so successful
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that they were adopted at the national level as part of the Affordable Care Act, more
These new healthcare system initiatives, however, have led to unintended outcomes.
For example, according to economists Kolstad and Kowalski, Massachusetts jobs with
employer sponsored healthcare pay almost $3,000 less annually, with deadweight loss
that uptake on the Massachusetts state health insurance scheme has been lower than
expected, which may point to the need for greater awareness and education campaigns
Additionally, in terms of costs, the Massachusetts healthcare reform has fallen short.
Ballooning costs have seen the Massachusetts healthcare budget between 2013 to
2018 increased by 42%, and the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission estimated
that there was between $12 to $22 billion in wasteful health care spending due to
treatment. Clearly, this is a system that needs to be better designed and administered in
order to streamline what are becoming rapidly unsustainable costs. Fortunately, new
healthcare initiatives by the Massachusetts state legislature have sought to restrict and
streamline healthcare system costs. For example, ‘Chapter 224’ legislation has been
unveiled since 2012 in order to limit private and public healthcare spending.
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In the case of San Francisco, the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance and
the ‘Healthy San Francisco’ health care initiatives were rolled out as novel approaches
to universal health care coverage. In terms of function, these initiatives were meant to
extend healthcare coverage to the uninsured, mandate that employers must pay toward
employees’ healthcare service costs, and strengthen the use of primary care and the
common electronic enrolment system. In particular, Healthy San Francisco was meant
for those under 5 times the Federal Poverty level who had gone without proper
healthcare insurance for three months. They could choose any of the 30 designated
health clinics in the city and be assigned dedicated healthcare practitioners, with their
data stored in a citywide database so that records could be easily transferred between
In terms of outcome, according to the United States Census 2016 American Community
Survey, 97% of San Franciscans are now covered by healthcare systems in the county,
which far exceeds the Californian state average of 93%. The City Option, which
provides limited healthcare services for uninsured that do not qualify for uninsured
healthcare programs, also covers the remaining 3%. These new initiatives have also
However, some outcomes for the San Francisco health initiatives have been negative.
trouble, the unsustainable nature of these health initiatives was revealed. Furthermore,
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these initiatives suffered from a shortfall in funding from private corporations and
employers.
The coverage of Healthy San Francisco was also not broad enough for several patients.
Healthy San Francisco emphasizes preventive care, specialty care, routine visits,
abuse care, lab tests, mental health treatment, and prescription drugs, but does not
include dental and vision care. As a result, many patients on the Healthy San Francisco
Furthermore, San Francisco’s heavily subsidized health insurance schemes may also
be difficult to afford for low income individuals, especially those who have to first pay out
Finally, San Francisco’s healthcare initiatives were not adequately completed by other
holistic healthcare initiatives such as healthy eating or anti-drug campaigns. The San
In terms of cost, like Massachusetts, San Francisco has struggled to keep up with rising
costs for its new healthcare initiatives. The California Department on Public Health
relies on significant federal grants for health innovation to fund its healthcare system;
which is reliant on political support that may change between administrations. The
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current Trump administration, for example, has placed healthcare access and
Low patient payments and decreasing employer funding also continue to impose strain
on financing of California state healthcare. Finally, the system remains overly reliant on
annually. Reports suggest that true universal health care, if implemented, projected to
In conclusion, the new Massachusetts and San Francisco health initiatives are
insurance, and should be replicated in other states. This has led to drastically improved
public health outcomes. However, both systems have suffered from excessive costs,
and caution should therefore be taken with regard to cost of implementing such
healthcare systems in other states, especially for states which do not have the same
References:
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Angela Hart, 'The price tag on universal health care is in, and it’s bigger than
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article151960182.html
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Eslami, Mohammad H., Katherine Moll Reitz, Denis V. Rybin, Gheorghe Doros, and Alik
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Hiatt, Robert A., Amanda Sibley, Laura Fejerman, Stanton Glantz, Tung Nguyen, Rena
Pasick, Nynikka Palmer et al. "The San Francisco Cancer Initiative: a community effort
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Jacobs, Ken, and Laurel Lucia. "Universal Health Care: Lessons From San Francisco."
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Joseph, Tiffany D. "What health care reform means for immigrants: comparing the
Affordable Care Act and Massachusetts health reforms." Journal of health politics,
Kolstad, Jonathan T., and Amanda E. Kowalski. "Mandate-based health reform and the
labor market: Evidence from the Massachusetts reform." Journal of health economics
47 (2016): 81-106.
Minkler, Meredith, Jessica Estrada, Ryan Thayer, Lisa Juachon, Patricia Wakimoto, and
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informed policy and neighborhood change in San Francisco." Journal of Urban Health
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(2018): 33-45.