Individual Purchasers in the Massachusetts Health Care System

Contact: Ashley Storms
Email: ashley.storms@state.ma.us

In the 2017 Annual Report on the Performance of the Massachusetts Health Care System, the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) identified trends in private commercial health insurance costs and coverage, with several major findings related to individuals who purchased commercial plans outside the employer-sponsored insurance system. These members represented a small but increasing percentage of the private commercial market (from 1.8% to 5.1% between 2014 and 2016). During this time, eligible low- and moderate-income individual purchasers began enrolling in subsidized ConnectorCare plans with reduced out-of-pocket and premium costs.