It’s hard work making it in the middle class
Massachusetts is the richest state in the nation. So why does the American dream seem to be slipping away, especially for the next generation?
If there’s a single unifying theme to the Massachusetts middle-class outlook in 2026, it’s contradiction: We have more than ever, and in many cases, that’s not enough to enjoy the stability of prior generations.
The state’s 2006 health care law was the model for the Affordable Care Act. What is its legacy?
HEALTH CARE AT 20
20TH ANNIVERSARY
The state’s landmark health care reform law at 20
In April 2006, Gov. Mitt Romney signed landmark legislation that aimed to make Massachusetts the first state in the country with universal or near-universal health care coverage for all residents. “An Act Providing Access to Affordable, Quality, Accountable Health Care,” often known as Romneycare or by the shorthand Chapter 58 (its designation in that year’s laws), was a pathbreaking effort to address the persistent coverage gap in US health care.
THE CODCAST
The historic tightrope of middle-class life
Defining the middle class is harder than it might seem – it might mean owning a home, having steady work, keeping a pot of savings, or the kids and white picket fence vision of the “American Dream.” Historian Andrew Seal, whose research and writings focus on how the middle class thinks of itself, joins CommonWealth Beacon senior reporter Jennifer Smith on The Codcast to interpret recent Bay State polling and dive into how a middle-class identity intersects with race, media portrayals, and American individualism.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Commonwealth in depth
‘They’re making a huge bet’: Rent control referendum splits progressives
A sweeping proposal to bring back caps on rent has generated hand-wringing, infighting, and one of the cycle’s most fascinating political debates
BY THE NUMBERS
Phoning it in – Mass. residents still lean toward in-person care as telehealth booms
New polling shows Bay Staters primarily continue to receive their health care the old-fashioned way
From the Archives
Rooting for the home team
Minor-league baseball is making fans across the Commonwealth
