With three state-funded youth mental health programs at risk of closing, lawmakers and providers ramped up their opposition this week to Gov. Healey’s proposed budget cuts.
Health Care
Posted inState Government
Health care cash rained on Mass. lobbying world in 2024
At a time when lawmakers are wrestling with cost, access and regulatory questions, health care industry power players continued to dominate the Beacon Hill lobbying world last year, spending the most on employing influential insiders who sway development of public policy.
Posted inHealth Care
State orders open access to free prenatal vitamins, birth control
“We know that prenatal vitamins and birth control play an essential role in women’s health. No one should be prevented from getting the care they need because of cost or because they are waiting for a prescription,” Healey said in a statement.
Posted inOpinion
Mass. hospitals are teetering on the edge
The most difficult realities are oftentimes the most important to accept. Now is one such time, as the state’s healthcare system buckles under the weight of unsustainable cost pressures and is showing once unimaginable signs of peril.
Posted inHealth Care
Health care spending takes dramatic leap of 5.8%
Massachusetts has the second-highest family health insurance premiums in the country, and the average annual cost of health care for a family is more than $29,000 when including out-of-pocket spending, the HPC said.
Posted inOpinion
Carney should reopen as a full-service hospital
Why is the realization of this dream of equitable healthcare in Boston so urgent? Because the epidemiological landscape demands it.
Posted inHealth Care
Lawrence General chief outlines vision for new hospital system
“So just watching it and say, ‘well, it’s not my problem, it’s Steward’s problem,’ was absolutely not an option from every perspective. If there was an abrupt reduction or discontinuation of services, there [would] be tremendous challenges in access to care and…we [would] have significant overcrowding and adverse impact to us as well.”
Posted inOpinion
We need answers on Mass. hospital finances
The Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association reports a $220 million Healthy Safety Net deficit for fiscal year 2025, following $380 million deficits in FY 2023 and 2024, totaling $600 million. It raises the question how exactly are hospitals burning through so much cash?
Posted inState Government
Mass. begins eminent domain taking of St. Elizabeth’s
“Taking the property for a fraction of the assessed value is theft and everyone in Massachusetts–every business owner and homeowner–should be concerned about this threat,” said an attorney for the landowner.,
Posted inOpinion
Steward aftermath isn’t the state’s only health care challenge
Massachusetts is now the state with the second-highest family health insurance premiums in the country, behind only New Jersey. We were fourth or fifth highest a few years ago, so we’re going in the wrong direction.