GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Friday issued an order prohibiting most gatherings of 250 or more people, but his administration stopped short of requiring all of the state’s K-12 schools to […]
Health Care
Posted inHealth Care
What’s behind the COVID-19 testing bottleneck
DOUG QUATTROCHI traveled to New York as the coronavirus outbreak was beginning there, then came home to Worcester and developed a fever and shortness of breath. His doctors ruled out […]
Posted inOpinion
Stepping up on coronavirus treatment coverage
THE MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION of Insurance issued a bulletin late last week that strongly suggests health insurers should cover coronavirus testing without copayments, deductibles, or co-insurance and treatment without copayments. Andrew […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nursing homes to limit access to residents
WITH THE ELDERLY particularly susceptible to the coronavirus, the Baker administration is putting in place a series of measures to shield residents of nursing homes from visitors and workers carrying […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker declares virus state of emergency
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER declared a state of emergency on Tuesday to give state government more tools and flexibility should the coronavirus outbreak in Massachusetts continue to spread. As the number […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker calls on schools to cancel all trips abroad
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday urged the state’s colleges and high schools to cancel all organized trips abroad, as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expands its travel […]
Posted inHealth Care
Healey, 7 firms sign $1m mental health settlement
ATTORNEY GENERAL MAURA HEALEY announced a settlement on Thursday with five health insurers and two behavioral health firms, dismissing alleged violations of mental health parity laws in return for $1 […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mass. facing hit from proposed fed Medicaid changes
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOVERNORS AROUND THE COUNTRY, including Gov. Charlie Baker, are fighting the Trump administration over proposed changes to how the federal government reimburses states for Medicaid, seeking […]
Posted inHealth Care
Senate passes mental health bill
SEN. JULIAN CYR has struggled with anxiety and depression since childhood. As a boy who was gay, he was bullied in school, had panic attacks and developed an eating disorder. […]
Posted inOpinion
Making sense of the governor’s 30% proposal
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S PROPOSAL to require that health care spending for both primary care and behavioral health grow from its current base by at least 30 percent over the next […]
Posted inHealth Care
Seniors seek expansion of Medicare savings program
JOHN ROBINSON is very stringent about keeping track of his bills, especially when it comes to health care expenses. The 71-year-old retired Amtrak porter knows exactly how his $1,832 a month in income […]
Posted inHealth Care
Ablow continues counseling despite license suspension
KEITH ABLOW, whose Massachusetts license to practice psychiatry was suspended last year by a state medical board that regarded him as “an immediate and serious threat to the public,” is […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health Policy Commission identifies 3 troubling cost trends
THE STATE’S HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION identified three industry trends on Tuesday that are driving up commercial health care costs in surprising ways, and two of the trends have a direct […]
Posted inThe Download
U-Haul won’t hire smokers in Mass., 20 other states
Police and fire departments across Massachusetts stopped hiring smokers in 1997 as part of a pension system overhaul. In 2011, the Massachusetts Hospital Association implemented the same policy for its […]
Posted inUncategorized
U-Haul won’t hire smokers in Mass., 20 other states
POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS across Massachusetts stopped hiring smokers in 1997 as part of a pension system overhaul. In 2011, the Massachusetts Hospital Association implemented the same policy for its […]
Posted inHealth Care, Opinion
The folly of Baker’s drug price control plan
WHEN THE Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) selected Charlie Baker as Governor of the Year in 2018, the group may have misjudged Baker’s understanding of the industry. Baker recently offered legislation that […]
Posted inHealth Care
Partners vowing to end surprise billing
PARTNERS HEALTHCARE is moving to eliminate surprise billing, where consumers receive large, unexpected hospital bills after unknowingly being treated by a doctor who doesn’t accept their insurance. The Partners policy […]
Posted inOpinion
I’ve got questions on Rep. Neal, Partners
AS DECEMBER DRAWS to a close, there have been a number of “happenings” in health care, both nationally and locally, that have major implications for policy. A few are worth […]
Posted inHealth Care
Board admonishes Beth Israel cardiologist
THE STATE MEDICAL BOARD recently disciplined a prominent cardiologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for losing his temper and using disrespectful language while performing a complex procedure. The state […]
Posted inHealth Care
Partners to open 4 new outpatient centers
PARTNERS HEALTHCARE is launching a major expansion of its outpatient network in a bid to grow its already large customer base by serving patients closer to where they live and […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t take away religious exemption for vaccines
I AM AN IVY LEAGUE-TRAINED physician who currently treats families of children and adults with developmental disabilities. I come in frequent contact with parents who use the religious exemption for […]
Posted inOpinion
Reward home care firms that pay living wage
WHILE MASSACHUSETTS LEADS the nation in a number of vital healthcare markers, the state is facing a crisis in one crucial area – its home care industry. The population is […]
Posted inHealth Care
Atrius Health reaching back to its managed roots
THERE’S A BACK to the future feel to some of the changes taking place in US health care, and Atrius Health, which provides care to some 740,000 patients, is a […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Baker mystified by response to vaping ban
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH HIS TEMPORARY BAN on vaping product sales set to end next week when public health officials adopt a new set of vaping rules, Gov. Charlie […]