HEALTHCARE
CommonWealth Beacon dives into the present and future of health and wellness in Massachusetts through its coverage of medical breakthroughs, regional disparities, insurance reshuffles, and the nitty-gritty of health policy.
Lehman Center chief: System doesn’t prioritize patient safety
Tens of thousands of people are harmed every year in Massachusetts due to preventable medical errors, according to Barbara Fain, head of the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety.
Senate pushing again for drug pricing legislation
The Senate is preparing to take up drug pricing legislation that would also create a licensing process for pharmacy benefit managers.
Senate passes menstrual period equity bill
IN A STEP toward menstrual equity, the Senate unanimously passed a bill on Wednesday that would make disposable menstrual products available at no cost in prisons, homeless shelters, and public schools. “I don’t say that very often for bills coming through the Legislature, but this one is simple,” said Senate President Karen Spilka at a press…
Campbell leads legal challenge to Meta’s Facebook, Instagram
ATTORNEY GENERAL Andrea Campbell filed a lawsuit Tuesday against Meta Platforms, alleging that the company’s Facebook and Instagram platforms violated Massachusetts consumer protection laws by knowingly utilizing methods to hook and consequently harm young people. This lawsuit is part of an effort by attorneys general in 42 states who are filing similar lawsuits in their…
State public health commissioner leans into ‘hard things’
WHEN ROBBIE GOLDSTEIN took the reins as the state’s new public health commissioner in April, he brought national experience dealing with the public health crisis of our time. As senior adviser to Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Goldstein was at the center of the country’s public health response to…
House OKs pay range disclosure bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS Legislature unanimously passed a law in 2016 to address the yawning gap between the wages paid to men and women doing the same work, a law that Rep. Christine Barber on Wednesday called “one of the strongest pay equity laws in the country.” But as she made the case…
The costs of drug pricing middlemen
In the fight against ever-rising drug prices, attention is increasingly zeroing in on a little-noticed middleman of the pharmaceutical chain – pharmacy benefit managers. Pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, are the intermediaries between pharmaceutical manufacturers and insurance providers. They negotiate drug prices, process claims, create lists of prescription drugs covered by insurance plans, and perform…
Court says social worker, school district not liable in student suicide
IF SOMETHING IS going wrong in a child’s life – slipping grades, anxiety, depression, injury, or worse – their school community can see warning signs that may not always show up at home. But if a public school employee is made aware of the possibility – or even likelihood – of a student hurting themself,…
Board approves first updated sex ed standards in decades
IT IS, LITERALLY, not your father’s — or mother’s — sex ed standards. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to update the curriculum framework for health and physical education, the first time the state’s sexual health standards have been updated in almost 25 years. Under the new guidelines, students should…
A food co-op returns to Boston
IT’S BEEN A LONG and winding 11-year road for the Dorchester Food Co-op, which will be opening its doors to the public this month. It marks the return of community and work-owned food co-ops to Boston, five years after the last local grocery co-op shuttered. Co-op markets differ from other markets primarily in their ownership…
Is Massachusetts becoming the state of emergency?
IN GOVERNMENT, as in life, what gets the most attention is often a matter of priorities. It’s hard to focus on too much at once, so the most important things get pushed to the top of the to-do list. Sometimes, though, even setting out an agenda of top priorities doesn’t seem to be enough. Lately,…
Transit offered as mitigation for maternity ward closure
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE UMASS MEMORIAL Medical Center officials intend to work with transit officials to help redirect patients to other area hospitals, especially UMass Memorial Medical Center’s campus in Worcester, if they follow through with a Leominster maternity ward’s closure. The health care system on Tuesday submitted a 17-page letter with state regulators outlining steps it…
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.