In 2006, Massachusetts instituted a plan requiring its residents to have health-insurance coverage, whether from their employer or self-paid. This program is the model for the Affordable Care Act (ACA — also known as “Obamacare”). Two years earlier, the state began a program to promote coordinated health care and social services for “dual eligibles” — those qualifying for both Medicare and MassHealth (what Medicaid is called in Massachusetts). Called Senior Care Options (SCO), the plan is free to participants — no premiums, copayments or deductibles are involved. And the results reported so far show it’s another health innovation worth attention.
Read the rest of this article on AARP’s TakeCare blog.