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20 HEALTH • Winter 2016 What a Trump Administration means for health care in Massachusetts \\ By Laura Finaldi A Donald J. Trump presidency and Republican control of Congress will likely mean sweeping changes in healthcare policy across the U.S., but in Massachusetts, state laws that pre-date federal healthcare reform could help prevent major disruptions. "Until you have an actual proposal, it's difficult to talk about specific elements," said Eric Linzer, vice president of public affairs and operations at the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans. President-elect Trump spent a lot of time on the campaign trail railing against the Affordable Care Act, which was spearheaded and signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2010. The law extended health insurance coverage to millions of Americans, pushed hospitals and doctors towards value-based payment systems, and prevented insurance companies from denying coverage to people based on pre-existing conditions, among other things. Massachusetts healthcare reform served as a model for what eventually became known as Obamacare. In 2006, the state pushed through comprehensive healthcare legislation that requires most adults 18 years of age and older to purchase health care. In 2015, Massachusetts had a 3.6 per- cent uninsured rate – the lowest in the country. Through the Affordable Care Act, the number of people on subsidized plans through the state Health Connector grew from about 124,000 to 181,000. An additional 9,000 people are receiving UP IN THE AIR