Living out the Brandeis credo to be a laboratory for democracy, we showed a path to providing health care coverage for nearly all residents
Opinion
Posted inHEALTH CARE AT 20
We declared that access to health coverage should not be left to chance or circumstance
Two decades after making health care history, Massachusetts must now face unfinished work on affordability, primary care access, and behavioral care
Posted inHEALTH CARE AT 20
We solved the health care access challenge, but are failing miserably to control costs
The business community backed the 2006 law on the promise that the state would address costs and spending — a promise that has gone largely unfulfilled
Posted inHEALTH CARE AT 20
Chapter 58 has made health care unaffordable for families and small businesses
We need an honest reckoning with the shortcomings of Massachusetts health care and what it would take to address them
Posted inHEALTH CARE AT 20
The Massachusetts Health Connector has been a resilient — and flexible — foundation for a bold experiment
Cost and affordability concerns, along with federal retreat on Affordable Care Act funding and policy, present big challenges as we enter our third decade
Posted inHEALTH CARE AT 20
Our history-making reform extended coverage to immigrants. That is now under threat.
Despite Massachusetts’s inclusive policies, structural racism and legal status discrimination have consistently undermined immigrants’ access to care, creating barriers that persist even for those who have coverage.
Posted inOpinion
We’re ready to help craft a 25-year vision for the MBTA
We need a long-term vision and plan for a transit system that enables all of us to fulfill our essential needs — easy and affordable access to jobs, opportunities, and resources. Now is the time to start advocating for this.
Posted inOpinion
A new vision for career and technical education in Massachusetts
Rethinking the structure and funding for career and technical education would not only open doors for more young people, but it would also help address the growing challenge the state faces in meeting the high demand for skilled workers.
Posted inOpinion
My all-of-the-above approach will lower energy costs and advance our climate goals
This is not about choosing one source over another. It is a practical approach to building enough energy from different sources to lower costs, improve reliability, and create jobs.
Posted inOpinion
Rent control ballot question won’t solve our housing problems — it will add to them
Although the goal of protecting tenants from sudden spikes is noble, evidence from decades of research and practical experience shows that broad rent caps often deliver the opposite of their intended outcomes.
Posted inOpinion
Invest in the 80 percent: Why Mass. must fund summer and after-school learning
The gross disparity between in-school and out-of-school learning investments represents a singular challenge for the Commonwealth. We need a new mindset regarding when and how learning occurs.
Posted inOpinion
Socially responsible investing still makes sense — and cents
Sustainable investing has never been about sacrificing returns for virtue. It has always been about aligning capital with long-term value creation.
Posted inOpinion
Proposed Mass Save cuts are a short-sighted move that will cost ratepayers – and the environment – more in the end
The desire to address affordability concerns may be well-intentioned, but we must resist doing that by raiding the energy efficiency programs that have done the most to keep energy bills down for decades.
Posted inOpinion
Proposed rollback of Mass. health aide program previews the coming pain from Medicaid cuts
Cuts to home care are merely a precursor to the devastation that will follow as Medicaid cuts reach our hospitals, community health centers, and nursing homes.
Posted inOpinion
The growing case for single-staircase buildings as one answer to our housing crisis
Nearly every other state in New England — Vermont dating back decades, and Maine, New Hampshire, and Connecticut more recently — has either changed or committed to changing its building code to allow four stories to be served by a single stairway.
Posted inOpinion
It’s time to pay at the wheel, not at the pump
As vehicles become more fuel-efficient and electric vehicle adoption increases, the state will continue to collect proportionally less in gas taxes as drivers have less or no need to fill up at the pump.
Posted inOpinion
It’s not too late for Ed Markey to pass the torch
As he approaches his 80th birthday, the time has come to put the common good ahead of personal ambition – and for Sen. Markey to step aside and make room for the next generation of leadership.
Posted inOpinion
In the AI age, human skills are even more crucial in the workplace. That must be part of our schools’ career-readiness focus.
Massachusetts employers told us that as technology advances, the hardest skills to find are not technical — they are human.
Posted inOpinion
Passing end-of-course assessments should be part of new graduation requirements
Students should be required to pass end-of-course assessments to measure whether they have mastered core academic content and foundational skills that prepare them to think critically, creatively, and innovatively. These assessments would provide a clear, consistent, and objective signal of readiness regardless of where the student lives or their socioeconomic status.
Posted inOpinion
Next MRWA leader must have vision for tackling regional flooding risks, clean-up of Charles and Mystic rivers
We must hire a new MWRA executive director who is committed to finishing the job of cleaning our major waterways from these polluting combined sewer overflows.
Posted inOpinion
Why Massachusetts needs a climate bank
It is a fiscally responsible path to achieve three critical goals: address affordability challenges, strengthen the economy, and remain a leader in addressing the challenges of a changing climate.
Posted inOpinion
Holding the line on Gateway Cities designation
There should be no hasty changes to the pool of Gateway Cities . Any future consideration of adjustments should be based on good data, a coherent framework, and involve collaboration with Gateway City leaders.
Posted inOpinion
A three-pronged strategy for supporting our immigrant neighbors
Forces opposing justice and equity have always existed, and when they get louder and push harder against what we know is right, history shows we must not only hold our ground, but we must be prepared to do more.
Posted inOpinion
What Norway’s dominance at the Winter Olympics can teach us about youth sports
American sports culture clings to the belief that early competition builds champions—that competition produces toughness, and that lowering the stakes makes kids soft. Norway offers the most compelling counterexample imaginable.