Monthly Archives: July 2006

More on “Technical” Corrections

Posted on July 31, 2006 by

The House passed a bill making “technical corrections” to the health reform statute late Thursday. The bill number is H. 5240. The Senate may take the bill up tonight, the last day of formal sessions, or it may consider the … Continue reading →

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Where Health Reform Gets Rocky

Posted on July 31, 2006 by

Spent the latter part of last week in Colorado at the invitation of the Colorado Health Foundation. Folks out there are interested in kicking the tired on the MA health reform plan. I tried to give ‘em just the facts … Continue reading →

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The Connector Hits the Road

Posted on July 28, 2006 by

Today members of the Connector Board’s Affordability Committee and a few hard-core Connector groupies traveled to Shrewsbury. With all of Bruce Butler’s talk of signposts, directions and parking lots, it felt like we were starting a journey. Between the heat … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | 2 Comments

Waiver Documents – Get ‘em here

Posted on July 27, 2006 by

The State hasn’t posted the waiver documents yet, but we have them. Dig in, health reform wonks. Also, State House News reported this afternoon that the health reform technical amendments legislation may move today (Thursday). One reason for urgency in … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | 3 Comments

Feds Approve Waiver

Posted on July 27, 2006 by

Federal Health and Human Services Secretary Leavitt came to Boston for a hastily-arranged ceremony to sign his approval of the Massachusets “1115″ MassHealth waiver. (Boston Globe coverage and photo). The waiver approval by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid … Continue reading →

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John Kerry Sponsors 7/31 Faneuil Hall Health Care “Dialogue”

Posted on July 25, 2006 by

US Sen. John Kerry is sponsoring a health care dialogue at Boston’s Fanueil Hall on July 31 at 12 noon. Here’s the invitation: Dear Friends, On July 31, I hope you’ll join me to wade into a debate that underscores … Continue reading →

Posted in US health policy | 1 Comment

Legislature Overrides Romney Veto of PCA Bill (now Law)

Posted on July 25, 2006 by

Congrats to Service Employees International Union 1199 for a huge legislative win. Yesterday, the House and Senate overwhelmingly overrode Gov. Romney’s veto of the so-called PCA bill. The new law will establish a central clearinghouse for disabled persons to find … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Politics, Health Care Quality | 1 Comment

ERISA Primer (I)

Posted on July 23, 2006 by

Last week, a federal district judge in Baltimore struck down Maryland’s so-called “Wal-Mart tax” on the basis that it violates a federal law called ERISA. Folks who have been in state health policy for a while are quite familiar with … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform, US health policy | 3 Comments

WSJ Survey on Public Attitudes about Health Insurance

Posted on July 22, 2006 by

Take a look at this new opinion survey by Harris for the Wall Street Journal. Interesting and sometimes contradictory (see questions 4 and 6) results. In general, Democrats and Independents seem more closely aligned than Republicans and Independents. Also, (question … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Weekly “Forward” Profiles GBIO Role in Health Reform

Posted on July 22, 2006 by

Interesting article in the July 21 issue of Forward, the progressive Jewish weekly, on the role played by the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization in Massachusetts health reform: “Religious Liberals Take Lead In Massachusetts Health Debate.” The article discusses GBIO’s role … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | 5 Comments