Andrea Valzania serves as an account executive with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Working from an office in Quincy, Andrea Valzania facilitates health coverage for more than 2,700 Massachusetts companies.

Data released in a 2018 report by the US Census Bureau shows that the uninsured rate did not change from 2016 to 2017. Moreover, the report noted no remarkable discrepancies in the uninsured rate when broken down by demographic categories like race, employment status, or age. In 2017, the uninsured rate nationally was 8.8 percent, which translates to 28.5 million Americans living without health insurance.

However, the report did find that states can have uninsured rates markedly different than the national average. Massachusetts stands out for its excellence, having achieved an uninsured rate 6 percent lower than the nation as a whole. Compare that state’s rate, 2.8 percent, to Texas’ rate, 14.2 percent, and it’s clear how advanced the Bay State is compared to the rest of the country when it comes to healthcare coverage.

Why the stark difference? Massachusetts has a track record of being at the forefront of healthcare policy, having a passed a reform bill similar to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) four years before the ACA became the law of the land.