THE CENTER FOR HEALTH INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS produces reams of data for both Massachusetts policymakers and the public, providing a window into state health care expenditures and offering tools to […]
Health
Posted inEnvironment
Air conditioning in school is a hot button topic
AS WARM TEMPERATURES ARRIVE, school officials are reaching for the switch to turn on air conditioners. Fans may do the trick for a little while, but eventually, as studies show, […]
Posted inPolitics
Lynch edges away from his ‘pro-life’ label
CONGRESSMAN STEPHEN LYNCH says he will renounce his “pro-life” label if the term becomes defined by the slew of measures passed by state legislatures to severely restrict or eliminate abortions. […]
Posted inOpinion
We need to talk about periods
IN 2014 a German nongovernmental organization called WASH United dubbed May 28 “International Menstrual Hygiene Day” to raise visibility around the daily struggle many people face with menstrual hygiene management. […]
Posted inHealth Care
RFK, Jr.’s anti-vaccine campaign is reckless and wrong — say three Kennedys
OF ALL THE WRINKLES in the emerging measles crisis and spotlight it has put on families who have caused the outbreak by refusing to vaccinate their children, the most curious […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health care chairs vow action on price variation
THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing may be new to their posts, but both seem to grasp the urgency of tackling big issues facing the […]
Posted inUncategorized
A pot research bonanza
Massachusetts, despite its Puritan “blue laws” past, showed more of its blue state liberal leanings through a 2016 ballot question that made it one of 10 states to legalize recreational […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Juul says it’s only here to help
E-CIGARETTE USE HAS EXPLODED, and whether this is a good thing or not depends very much on the vantage point from which it’s viewed. Both vantage points were on display […]
Posted inThe Download
Juul says it’s only here to help
E-cigarette use has exploded, and whether this is a good thing or not depends very much on the vantage point from which it’s viewed. Both vantage points were on display […]
Posted inHealth Care
A health care leader from the grassroots
COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS often have a strong grassroots connection to the neighborhoods they serve. But no center may proclaim that more loudly through its leadership than the East Boston Neighborhood […]
Posted inHealth Care
Nursing home industry sounds alarm
THE MASSACHUSETTS NURSING HOME INDUSTRY says inadequate state funding caused 20 facilities to close last year and is putting another 39 at risk of going out of business this year. […]
Posted inHealth Care
Expanding our view of health
WHEN IT COMES TO the state of our health, there is a glaring disconnect in the US, says Sandro Galea. We spend far more on health care per capita than […]
Posted inUncategorized
Temperatures plunged during homeless census count
AS SNOW SQUALLS and plunging temperatures took over Massachusetts for much of the last two days, no one felt it quite as hard as the homeless. The polar vortex arrived […]
Posted inHealth Care
Bio folks cool to Baker drug proposal
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER’S proposal to rein in the cost of high-priced drug treatments got a cool reception on Wednesday at a MassBio policy breakfast, but most industry officials didn’t appear […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. has hospital readmissions problem
THERE IS A great deal to celebrate in Massachusetts following the Health Policy Commission’s recent Cost Trends Hearing. The Commonwealth’s healthcare spending growth was well below the national average in […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t wait, get screened early for lung cancer
LUNG CANCER is the leading cancer killer in the United States even though it is highly curable if detected at an early stage. Yet less than 2 percent of the […]
Posted inOpinion
More work needed on Mass. reproductive laws
IN EARLY 2018, Donald Trump addressed an anti-choice rally, proclaiming “Americans are more and more pro-life, you see that all the time.” Not only was President Trump wrong about the […]
Posted inOpinion
Getting to better health care at lower cost
FOR YEARS, “MAUREEN” struggled to manage her diabetes while battling cardiac illness, asthma, and other chronic health issues. The 70-year-old Boston-area resident was not eating well and was severely overweight […]
Posted inOpinion
Tackling transgender health disparities
MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS SOUNDLY rejected efforts to allow discrimination against transgender individuals – upholding the current law that protects them from unfair treatment. Despite this positive news, there are continuing efforts […]
Posted inOpinion
Yes on 3 is a healthy choice
ALL OF US know that accessing basic health care and emergency medical care treatment is essential to taking care of ourselves and our families. This November, voters will have a […]
Posted inOpinion
Drug costs at pharmacies lack transparency
AS A PRACTICING PHYSICIAN, nearly every time I write a prescription, I have to ask myself: “Will this patient be able to afford this at the beginning of the calendar […]
Posted inThe Download
Canada cannabis
The bong, er, gong, sounded early Wednesday morning for the nationwide sale of marijuana in Canada, only the second country in the world to legalize the drug and the first […]
Posted inEnvironment
It’s Jaws all over again
THE FATAL SHARK ATTACK on 26-year-old boogie border Arthur Medici Saturday at Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet scared the hell out of me. Reading about the terrible incident, I could […]
Posted inThe Download
It’s Jaws all over again
The fatal shark attack on 26-year-old boogie border Arthur Medici Saturday at Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet scared the hell out of me. Reading about the terrible incident, I could […]