Serving over 1.8 million Massachusetts residents, MassHealth provides access to healthcare services for people of varying ages and life circumstances across the Commonwealth. These services improve enrollees’ health and enable them to succeed in other aspects of their lives. Through MassHealth, low-income women have access to prenatal care that gives their babies the best chance at a healthy start in life; children with special needs have access to comprehensive healthcare and the support services required to reach their full potential; young adults are able to pursue higher education and job training to advance their careers without the fear of losing insurance coverage; adults working in low-wage sectors, like restaurants and construction, can provide health security for their families; and the elderly and those living with disabilities receive services and supports that help keep them out of institutions and in their homes and communities.

Gaining a comprehensive understanding of people with MassHealth coverage—who they are and what role MassHealth plays in their lives—is critical to informing policy and program development. With the goal of painting a picture of the diverse population served by MassHealth, Manatt Health, along with the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and Health Care For All, created a “Faces of MassHealth” profile of the more than 1.8 million Massachusetts residents enrolled in the program.

The project has two components: a quantitative profile, summarized in a chart pack, of the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of individuals enrolled in MassHealth; and a qualitative profile of five Commonwealth residents whose lives have been impacted by MassHealth. Manatt Health and its partners also released a databook to provide more detail on the quantitative findings presented in the chart pack.

Click here to find the Faces of MassHealth chart pack, journalistic profiles and databook.