Monthly Archives: September 2006

Connector Board Meeting Thursday

Posted on September 26, 2006 by

You read it here first: The Connector Board is meeting on Thursday morning, September 28, scheduled from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm. The meeting is in the State House, room B-1. The agenda includes a readiness report on the rollout … Continue reading →

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Non/Small Group Market Merger Commission to Meet

Posted on September 25, 2006 by

The Special Commission to study the merger of the Non Group and Small Group Insurance Markets will meet on Thursday September 28th from 10 to 11:30 at the offices of the Division of Insurance (One South Station, Boston). We understand … Continue reading →

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John Kitzhaber’s Archimedes Movement

Posted on September 24, 2006 by

For 20 years now, John Kitzhaber has been one of the most interesting individuals in U.S. health policy. An emergency room doc, Oregon State Senate President and two-term Governor, he was the force behind the Oregon Health Plan which combined … Continue reading →

Posted in States, US health policy | 1 Comment

Commonwealth Care – Lots of Information Released

Posted on September 22, 2006 by

With the October 1st start date for the first phase of enrollment into Commonwealth Care – no-cost coverage for uninsured adults at or below the poverty line – the Connector and MassHealth have released a number of information resources for … Continue reading →

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Quality – Cost Council Meets on Organizational Matters

Posted on September 22, 2006 by

The Quality and Cost Council met on Wednesday, September 20, with a spare agenda devoted mainly to organizational issues. The first topic was dividing into subcommittees. Council chair EOHHS Secretary Tim Murphy sent a detailed memo to Council members proposing … Continue reading →

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US Health Care — Mediocre at Best

Posted on September 21, 2006 by

In case you haven’t seen it, the new Commonwealth Fund report on US health system performance, published by Health Affairs, is essential reading. Click here to see it. Here’s the summary: The United States has many of the world’s best-equipped … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Quality, US health policy | 1 Comment

Kerry Healy Releases a Health Agenda (sort of): II — Is That All There Is?

Posted on September 20, 2006 by

So, let’s ponder larger questions related to Kerry Healey’s new health agenda (5 out of 50 “tough smart solutions“…) First, if this is all she has to offer on health care, we should all pull a Dickens on her: “please … Continue reading →

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Kerry Healy Releases a Health Agenda (sort of): I

Posted on September 20, 2006 by

Today, MA LG and Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Kerry Healey released 50 “Tough Smart Solutions to Change Massachusetts.” Click here to view. As her first set of detailed policy proposals, we were curious which ones related to health care. Five deal … Continue reading →

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e-Health in the Big Apple

Posted on September 19, 2006 by

Last week, HCFA’s E-Health Consumer Advocate, Lisa Fenichel, participated in a meeting, “Developing the Consumer Agenda for Health Information Technology,” sponsored by the United Hospital Fund, located in the Empire State Building. She and nine others, who are involved in … Continue reading →

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Health Plans Nationwide Save Money by Investing in Oral Health

Posted on September 19, 2006 by

In the new MA health reform law, the House and Senate agreed to restore coverage for dental services to 650,000 MassHealth adults. Gov. Romney vetoed the restoration and the House and Senate overrode the veto. Coverage was restored in early … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Market, Health Care Quality | 5 Comments