Monthly Archives: December 2009

Great Scott! Brown’s Misdiagnosis

Posted on December 29, 2009 by

Senate candidate (and current state senator) Scott Brown stuck his foot in the mandated benefits issue yesterday with legislation and a statement that shows his serious misunderstanding of the cause of high insurance premiums and how to cut health care … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare Cost Control | 12 Comments

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor

Posted on December 29, 2009 by

The season of giving is almost over and there are only a few days left to donate to HCFA in 2009. Please help us provide health care education, enrollment services and advocacy that the people of Massachusetts deserve. In order … Continue reading →

Posted in HCFA | Leave a comment

Our Fair Share, Too

Posted on December 22, 2009 by

It’s only fair. Under the original Senate health reform bill, states will get substantial federal assistance for increasing their Medicaid eligibility to 133% of the federal poverty level. Except for states that already cover people up to that level, like … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform, National Health Reform | 2 Comments

New Poetry Genre: “‘Twas the Night Before #hcr”

Posted on December 22, 2009 by

Health reform is stimulating all kinds of creativity, particularly in the “poetry” department. A few weeks ago, there was a twitter storm of health care reform haiku. Of course, twitter’s 140-character limit is ideal for haiku. You can read them … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Humor, National Health Reform | 2 Comments

COBRA Benefits Extended

Posted on December 22, 2009 by

Yesterday President Obama signed the Defense Appropriations bill, which included a provision extending federal COBRA subsidies. Here’s how Phyllis Borzi, Assistant Secretary of the Employee Benefits Security Administration describes the provision: The act extends the eligibility period for the ARRA … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | 10 Comments

Medical Security Program, Take 5

Posted on December 21, 2009 by

We have recently blogged about the Medical Security Program (MSP): a plea to find state funding to save the program and a discussion of streamlining possibilities to prevent gaps in coverage. We’re pleased to report that the program is funded … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform | 5 Comments

Prison Is Not Treatment: Part 2

Posted on December 17, 2009 by

Back in August, we wrote a blog about young people with mental health needs ending up in prison for lack of community resources. While it doesn’t take much of an intellectual leap to imagine how inappropriate this setting would be … Continue reading →

Posted in Children's Mental Health | 4 Comments

Senator Kirk Cites HCFA Helpline

Posted on December 17, 2009 by

In a stirring Senate floor speech yesterday drawing on the legacy of Senator Kennedy, Senator Kirk again brought up the HCFA Helpline as an example of why we need health reform: Senator Kirk told the Senators about Carol, who was … Continue reading →

Posted in Helpline, National Health Reform | 1 Comment

Consumer Health Quality Council Debuts PSAs

Posted on December 17, 2009 by

Nicole Hall and Bing Chen, two students at the BU School of Public Health, have created two Public Service Announcements highlighting the stories of members of the Consumer Health Quality Council. The 30-second version is above; there’s also a longer, … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Quality | Leave a comment

Healthy Aging Forum Looks at Patient-Centered Care For Seniors

Posted on December 16, 2009 by

This week’s Healthy Aging Forum featured Dr. Walter Leutz’s results from his study on how to create an environment where people achieve healthy aging. The report, Healthy Aging in the Commonwealth: Pathways to Lifelong Wellness (pdf) includes several recommendations to … Continue reading →

Posted in Health Care Quality | 1 Comment