Massachusetts doctors support continuation of health reform law

About 70 percent of practicing physicians in Massachusetts support that state's health reform three years after its passage in 2006, according to a study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation.

The poll of 2,135 Massachusetts physicians was designed by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and conducted between Aug. 11 and Sept. 15.

When asked about the law’s future, 75 percent of physicians say they want to continue the policies, with 46 percent wanting some changes and 29 percent keeping the policies as they're written. When asked what changes they would like to see, physicians mentioned issues related to covering more uninsured and better controlling costs.

Thirteen percent of physicians in the state oppose the health reforms created through the legislation, while 7 percent believe the policies should be repealed.

“There appears to be broad support among physicians in Massachusetts for the reforms that led to almost all state residents having health coverage,” said Robert Blendon, one of the study’s authors and a professor of health policy and political analysis at HSPH. “The findings suggest that it is possible to provide near-universal coverage of the population and have a resulting system that most physicians believe improves care for the uninsured without undermining their ability to provide care to their patients.”

When physicians were questioned about the impact the health reform law has had on their own practice, 57 percent said there was none, and 22 percent said the law had improved their practice.

While 50 percent of respondents reported a worsening in conditions at their practice within the past three years, only 11 percent said the Massachusetts health reform laws caused the decline. Less than half of the physicians cited the law’s success in decreasing the number of uninsured patients treated at their practice, while 35 percent cited the law’s negative impact on their practice due to increased administrative burdens.

“Massachusetts’ recent experience in reforming healthcare provides invaluable insights for federal lawmakers,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, president and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Based on what we have seen in Massachusetts, doctors are supportive of the reforms and their patients appear to be better off. Leaders in Washington have an opportunity to implement reforms that can bring about similar results nationwide.”

Physicians rated the Massachusetts healthcare system more positively than they did the national healthcare system, 63 percent to 33 percent. About 80 percent believe the law positively impacted those who were previously uninsured, though overall costs to the state continue to be a concern.

“Whether at the state or national level, health reform is about trade-offs, but the reaction among physicians in Massachusetts has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Anya Rader Wallack, interim president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. “The state now has the lowest proportion of uninsured residents in the nation, and our physicians are looking forward to continuing and improving the health reform efforts already in place. That’s a remarkable achievement.”