Like the Red Sox season, the health care picture in the state this year has been marked by big ups and downs.
primary care
Posted inOpinion
I led efforts to increase primary care spending in Rhode Island. Here are the things Massachusetts must get right.
High-quality primary care must be a common good for all Massachusetts residents. It is the most important part of a health care system, and it needs to be treated as such.
Posted inState Government
House counteroffer to primary care may focus on prescription drugs
Pressed about aspects of a potential health care bill, House Speaker Ron Mariano said, “I know the committee, health care policy, has done an awful lot of work in prescription drug stuff, so we’ll start probably with that, and see where that takes us.”
Posted inOpinion
Stronger primary care means better specialty care
Every specialist depends on a healthy primary care system. It is the front door to health care and the foundation upon which the rest of medicine is built.
Posted inHealth Care
Regulators attach conditions to MGB-CVS MinuteClinic plan
Regulators have been intrigued about the prospect of an innovative care model to expand primary care access, but the sticker shock continues to linger and the HPC said Thursday it “remains uncertain” whether or when MinuteClinic will “provide comprehensive, high-quality primary care.”
Posted inHealth Care
Senate ready to force more money toward primary care — and away from specialists
Inviting a political fight with influential hospital systems, the Senate plans to approve legislation that would more than double the share of health care dollars that go toward the ailing primary care sector.
Posted inOpinion
When it comes to CVS MinuteClinic plan, Massachusetts needs more primary care – but without Mass General Brigham prices
Massachusetts should not have to choose between expanding primary care and protecting affordability.
Posted inOpinion
Here’s how to fix primary care for the highest-need patients
Health care in Massachusetts isn’t living up to its full potential. A revised model of the patient-centered medical home would be a meaningful step in the right direction.
Posted inThe Codcast
Trying to measure primary care’s downward spiral
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 talk with Barbra Rabson, president and CEO of Massachusetts Health Quality Partners. They discuss the primary care crisis, how data transparency improves patient outcomes, and tease upcoming recommendations from the primary care task force.
Posted inThe Codcast
‘The exits are growing, the entries are slowing’ in primary care
John McDonough and Paul Hattis talk with Zirui Song, associate professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. They discuss Song’s research and thoughts about the primary care crisis nationally and in Massachusetts, and dive into the promise and issues with private equity in health care.
Posted inEnvironment
Five Codcasts from 2025
CommonWealth Beacon reporters moderated panels and guided conversations on some of the thorniest problems facing the state. Here are five Codcasts from 2025 worth revisiting — or checking in on for the first time — as the new year kicks off.
Posted inHealth Care
‘The gaps have become too big for too many’
Physicians, policymakers, and advocates hope to make a breakthrough this term on legislation that would boost the share of health care dollars that go toward primary care amid provider burnout and growing wait times for appointments.
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 inOpinion
The stress test facing Massachusetts health care
Now is the time for providers, payers, and legislators to come together to develop solutions that reduce administrative burdens for providers, increase investments in primary care, and strengthen safety net institutions.
Posted inHealth Care
Lawmakers: Baker’s health care bill a good start
LAST SESSION, Beacon Hill’s big three – the governor, the House speaker, and the Senate president — each had fundamentally different ideas about how to reform the state’s health care […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker files sweeping health care bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS and insurers would be required to boost their spending on addiction services, behavioral health, primary care, and geriatric services by 30 percent over […]
