This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith continues health care month coverage in a conversation with 1199SEIU executive vice president Cari Medina and Anestine Bentick, lead medical assistant at South Boston Community Health. They discuss existing pressures on stretched workforces, the impacts of recent closures, and how immigration policy bleeds into the health care space.
Health care workers struggle to navigate closures and immigration fears
Posted inOpinion
I don’t want to close any more mental health centers
The cost of operating our clinic with optimal staffing simply exceeded by a wide margin the amount we received from insurers – largely the state Medicaid program MassHealth – to operate it.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Why elect sheriffs anyway?
The governor appoints a corrections professional to oversee state prisons. So why do we elect people who are essentially regional correctional commissioners, with voters often having little basis to evaluate whether they’re doing a good job or not?
Posted inTechnology
Senate moves to crack down on ‘Wild West’ of data collection
Consumers would gain more control over their data under a new bill set for Senate approval that would also ban targeted advertising to minors.
Posted inState Government
‘It was too effing complicated:’ A pro-housing reckoning over MBTA Communities law
“We crafted this law in a way that we thought was responding to the unique aspect of local control, local decision making, Town Meeting form of government we have in Massachusetts,” said said Jesse Kanson-Benanav, of Abundant Housing Massachusetts, “but that made it incredibly difficult.”
Posted inOpinion
Declines in science scores should prompt big change in schools
It’s time to acknowledge that the way Massachusetts and other states have largely been teaching science isn’t getting the job done and look for better options and bright spots.
Posted inState Government
Beacon Hill lobbying still buoyed by health care interests
New data shows that lobbying remained a lucrative industry in the first half of 2025, especially for firms that count health care companies among their clients.
Posted inEducation
Report highlights persistent challenges in early child care workforce
Despite “fragile progress,” the Commonwealth’s early child care system continues to suffer from a workforce problem, according to a new analysis published by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. The report makes several policy recommendations and highlights that the state is losing out on billions in tax revenue.
Posted inThe Codcast
Mass. HHS secretary on protecting health equity and access
On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of The Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute spoke with Dr. Kiame Mahaniah, Massachusetts secretary of Health and Human Services, about looming Medicaid cuts, the primary care crisis, and how to make sure the vulnerable can still access health services.
Posted inOpinion
State commission to combat antisemitism misses the mark
Education requires that teachers and students feel free to try out ideas without fear that they will immediately be accused of bias and prejudice. Yet teachers will be forgiven for thinking it is too risky to discuss what American Jews and Israelis openly discuss as part of a genocide education unit.
Posted inOpinion
‘Persistently high volumes’: The view from inside a hospital
“I wish I could say that stress and burnout has started to decline, but burnout continues to be high among doctors, nurses, and allied health staff working in all of our clinical settings, ranging from emergency departments and ICUs to our outpatient clinics and services. I am hopeful that one of the silver linings of COVID is an increasing focus on the mental health of health care workers.”
Posted inHealth Care
New poll shows high satisfaction with health insurance in Mass., even as residents delay or skip care for cost reasons
New polling for CommonWealth Beacon conducted by the MassINC Polling Group paints a picture of Massachusetts residents mostly happy with their health care coverage, especially when compared with other states, even while large slices of the population report struggling with cost and access.
Posted inEnvironment
Western Mass. cities working to prevent sewer overflows amid funding challenges and intensifying rain
All three cities have made multi-million-dollar efforts in recent years to prevent sewer overflows, but as climate change continues to worsen heavy rain events, inevitable overflow events are working against their progress.
Posted inOpinion
Reading isn’t enough: Massachusetts must solve its math crisis, too
Research shows that early math skills are more predictive of lifetime earnings than reading or health factors. And as Massachusetts’s economy increasingly relies on evolving STEM jobs, we must prepare all students — not just a privileged few — for that future.
Posted inBy The Numbers
Healey holds her head above water in new poll
Asked how they thought Healey is doing as governor, 20 percent of residents said they strongly approve of her performance, 36 percent say they somewhat approve, 15 percent somewhat disapprove, 18 percent strongly disapprove, and 11 percent said they were unsure.
Posted inCourts
Mass. public defender agency hires 22 new attorneys in rapid expansion
In addition to continued hiring in fiscal year 2026, plans call for a single hiring initiative in fiscal year 2027 that will feature 100 new attorneys.
Posted inThe Codcast
Blocking and tackling with Massport CEO Rich Davey
This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Rich Davey, who just finished his first year as CEO of Massport. They talk about his long history of ground transportation work, plans to improve air travel, and whether Boston actually could have handled the 2024 Olympics.
Posted inOpinion
Follow the money: Is the CVS-MGB primary care deal good for Mass.?
The plan must be considered in the context of the state’s primary care task force and its emerging vision for a reformed primary care system.
Posted inHealth Care
Red lights on the way to health care
When hospitals close, communities reel. Even in well-covered Massachusetts, some regions of the state still struggle to access its nation-leading health care. And after decades of hospital consolidation, the system is staring down federal changes likely to make the hard job of providing care for underserved communities even more challenging.
Posted inHealth
Healey puts Mass. on its own vaccine path
The state Department of Public Health on Thursday updated its vaccine administration policy, enabling pharmacists to administer vaccines and emergency medications. The maneuver promotes the availability and distribution of vaccines in Massachusetts beyond those approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Posted inEnvironment
Full of crap: Climate change could cause more sewage pollution for rivers, lakes, and beaches
“The Charles is a beloved resource. People should be able to use it without worrying about getting sick. As our climate changes and it gets hotter, people should be able to swim there.”
Posted inOpinion
A mother’s plea: Fix the broken continuum of care for brain injury patients
As if the agony of his horrific injury weren’t enough, I’ve also been forced to wage another relentless battle—this one against a cold, indifferent private health insurance industry that treats my son like a number instead of a life worth fighting for.