Monthly Archives: January 2010

Congrats, Terry!

Posted on January 20, 2010 by

Yesterday, EOHHS Secretary Bigby announced that Terry Dougherty will permanently take the post of Medicaid Director. Terry served as interim director since September, and will continue to serve as Assistant Secretary. Terry’s work is cut out for him. Beyond the … Continue reading →

Posted in MassHealth/Medicaid | Leave a comment

DUA Hears Testimony on Care Problems Due to MSP Changes

Posted on January 20, 2010 by

On January 1, the Medical Security Program (MSP) enacted a number of regulatory and programmatic changes (details). MSP provides health coverage, either through COBRA subsidies or a Blue Cross plan, to low-income workers on unemployment assistance. On our HelpLine, we’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | 1 Comment

Investing in Health Equity

Posted on January 20, 2010 by

Despite the progress Massachusetts has made in expanding health care coverage, health disparities continue to exist. On January 26th at 10am, Health Care For All and the Disparities Action Network will host a briefing to discuss the roots of health … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Disparities | Leave a comment

Brown / Coakley and Massachusetts Health Reform

Posted on January 18, 2010 by

We always knew that national health reform policy was going to be very dependent on Massachusetts. From the very beginning, we heard that Washington policy path was following “Massachusetts Avenue.” One Washington staffer said the goal was to do “Massachusetts, … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Politics, MA Health Reform, National Health Reform | 2 Comments

Connector Board Report – January 14th

Posted on January 18, 2010 by

The Connector Board held their first meeting of the new year last week. Agenda items included quarterly program updates, the proposal to work with the Small Business Service Bureau to provide coverage to very small employers, the Connector’s administrative budget, … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | Leave a comment

QCC Meeting Wednesday

Posted on January 15, 2010 by

The Health Care Quality and Cost Council will be meeting on Wednesday, January 20, 2010, from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m, in the DCHFP Daley Room, 5th floor, 2 Boylston St., Boston. The agenda includes the announcement of new Council … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Quality | Leave a comment

DPH Releases Community Health Worker Study

Posted on January 15, 2010 by

Public health leaders and community health workers gathered yesterday at the State House, in celebration of the new Department of Public Health report on community health workers (CHWs) in Massachusetts (press release). The report highlights the effectiveness of CHW’s in … Continue reading →

Posted in Public Health, Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities | Leave a comment

Helpline – Now With Flu Info, Too!

Posted on January 15, 2010 by

Health Care for All’s HelpLine and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health are teaming up to help answer your questions about H1N1 and the seasonal flu. Each of our counselors has been trained by infectious disease experts at DPH to … Continue reading →

Posted in Helpline, Public Health | Leave a comment

Caring. Health we can all afford.

Posted on January 15, 2010 by

Today, we announced the Massachusetts Campaign For Better Care (see the press release, including statements from the Governor, Senate President and House Speaker; initial endorsers (pdf); and click on the picture to see all our photos). So what is this … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare Cost Control | 1 Comment

Dumb and Dumber

Posted on January 11, 2010 by

There’s lots of bad ideas floating around on how to lower health care costs. While we’re focusing on real, fundamental reforms of the payment and delivery systems, as part of the Massachusetts Campaign For Better Care (see our spiffy new … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Market | 6 Comments