Health Reform Blog
A Reporter’s Experience
With much gratitude to the Kaiser Family Foundation, I spent my time from September 2008 to May 2009 — as a Kaiser Media Fellow — researching the progress of Massachusetts’ new health reform legislation.
In 2006, Massachusetts passed landmark healthcare legislation mandating that every person in the commonwealth have health insurance. To make that possible, the state greatly expanded its subsidized health care options — such as MassHealth (Medicaid), and a new program called Commonwealth Care for people who don’t qualify for MassHealth but whose income still falls below 300 percent of the federal poverty level. It has also brokered a number of private plans for those with higher incomes, through a program called Commonwealth Choice. In concert with this mandate, the law encourages employers to provide health care subsidies — or face a fine.
My project looked at what’s working in the reform effort, and what’s not. I spoke with policy makers, physicians, patients, insurers, hospital administrators, business owners, and a variety of other stakeholders in health reform (most of us, really!) I produced (and continue to produce) radio pieces for WFCR, NPR, and other outlets — most of which appear in the health policy section of this website. This blog is meant to complement the produced stories with my observations and experiences while reporting on the topic.
I encourage community members to email me with any ideas for stories about health reform, and with YOUR OWN stories of what’s working and what’s not in Massachusetts’ experiment with universal coverage.
I should add that there are a number of established blogs on health reform that I encourage all interested observers to check out:
http://commonhealth.wbur.org
(WBUR’s blog, Common Health, administered by WBUR healthcare reporter Martha Bebinger.)
http://blog.hcfama.org
(Health Care for All’s blog)
Monday, October 12th, 2009
As it gets more difficult to make an appointment with a primary care doctor, one business model is picking up the slack: walk-in medical centers. Walk-in clinics — from drugstore chains that offer limited services from a nurse to stand-alone clinics operated by emergency room doctors — are increasingly treating people who either don’t have a regular doctor or can’t get in to see one when they need to. And if Congress succeeds in passing a nationwide health insurance mandate, the urgent care industry expects even more growth.
Listen to local story:
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Or click HERE for national NPR story.
Aired on WFCR on October 8, 2009, and on NPR’s All Things Considered, Nov. 20, 2009.
Download local audio by right-clicking here
Posted in General Health, Health Reform Blog, Health Reform in Massachusetts | Comments Off
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
An interview with Michael Widmer, President of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, about his take on
Michael Widmer
Massachusetts health reform, and its cost to the state. He says it’s not as expensive as you might think.
Click here for the interview on the WFCR website. Story aired July 24, 2009.
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Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
I was invited as a guest on Connecticut Public Radio’s call-in show, “Where We Live” — 
hosted by John Dankosky. The topic was health reform in Massachusetts — and what Connecticut can learn from the experience. Other guests include a consumer advocate, a provider, and a CT activist.
To listen to the July 22, 2009 progam, click here
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Friday, July 17th, 2009
Listen Now
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The health insurance of about 30,000 legal immigrants in Massachusetts hangs in the balance. The budget passed in June by the legislature would end their state-sponsored health insurance by September, but the Governor wants to restore 70 million dollars of the cuts. In the meantime, many immigrants are worried about how they will pay for healthcare.
This story aired on WFCR on July 16, 2009.
To download audio, right-click here
Posted in Health Reform Blog, Health Reform in Massachusetts | Comments Off
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
Listen Now (5:45)
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The one thing that almost everyone involved in the health care debate agrees on — is that health costs in America are out of control. In Massachusetts, a state commission has been studying ways to change how healthcare is paid for, and it’s expected to report its recommendations Thursday (7/16/09). Meanwhile, the state’s largest insurance company is piloting a new payment system that it claims will keep down costs without sacrificing care.
This story aired on WFCR July 15th, 2009.
Posted in Health Reform Blog, Health Reform in Massachusetts | Comments Off
Friday, June 5th, 2009
In anticipation of the Obama health plan, I wrote an article for Kaiser Health News about the Massachusetts law requiring everyone to have health insurance — how is the “individual mandate” going over in Mass, from a consumer standpoint, and what does that tell us about how it might go over nationally?
Gary Cloutier
WESTFIELD, Mass. — If Congress wants all Americans to get health insurance, it will have to win over people like Gary Cloutier, owner of Cloots Auto Body Shop.
The stocky 47-year-old shows up every day to a cluttered, fume-filled garage, even when there are few cars to repair. His business has plunged 40 percent in the last year, since people stopped getting their fenders fixed. Some months he doesn’t pay himself a salary, and his utility bills pile up unpaid. So the idea of buying health insurance right now seems ludicrous. “Where am I supposed to get the money from?” Cloutier asks.
His question is directed squarely at the state of Massachusetts, the first in the nation to require all its residents to have health insurance. But it also goes to the heart of what President Obama and many in Congress are working towards – universal coverage. Achieving that goal would likely require most Americans to pay some or all of the cost of obtaining policies at a time when people are losing jobs and income…..
To read the full story, click here
Posted in Health Reform Blog, Health Reform in Massachusetts | Comments Off
