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A study by the Massachusetts Health Quality Partners has found that while Massachusetts doctors score above average in patient care, there is still room for improvement when it comes to long term outcomes and better health care spending. Could an improved Massachusetts health insurance system solve the problem?

According to the Boston Business Journal, Bay State physicians do better than the national average on 24 out of 25 quality-of-care measures, and better than the 90th percentile on 12 out of 25 measures. Furthermore, the state's physicians scored "well above the 50th percentile in managing chronic diseases like diabetes and adult asthma, and above the 90 percentile in areas including children's asthma care."

So why the problems with long term solutions and spending? Historically, such issues have been related to medical insurance, and in this case, specifically Massachusetts health insurance. Long term care, like managing cholesterol and diabetes, requires time spent with doctors and sometimes the need for expensive medications.

Too many Americans simply can't afford all of this. Will things change now that Massachusetts health insurance is mandated? There's no way to tell just yet. But one thing is certain - those individuals with better insurance can spend more time with doctors learning to manage their health in the long term, and that has less to do with the quality of medical professionals, and more to do with the availability of medical insurance.