Monthly Archives: July 2013

Powerful WGBH Report on MassHealth Dental: “My teeth have literally fallen apart, crumbled.”

Posted on July 29, 2013 by

This morning WGBH radio ran a story on the continued impact of the MassHealth adult dental cuts that were initiated in July 2010. Three years after most dental benefits were eliminated, we’ll see some progress. Fillings will be restored for … Continue reading →

Posted in Oral Health | 2 Comments

Health Policy Commission Looks At Grant Program

Posted on July 28, 2013 by

The Health Policy Commission met on Thursday July 25th for its seventh full meeting. The Commission is moving ahead with important work set to occur in the fall, which will include awarding grants to support hospital investment and conducting the … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare Cost Control | Leave a comment

Consumer Appeal Rights Comments Wanted

Posted on July 24, 2013 by

The Health Policy Commission’s (HPC) Quality Improvement and Patient Protection Committee convened yesterday. The meeting focused on a discussion of the Office of Patient Protection’s (OPP) internal and external review procedures, and culminated in a lively listening session advising OPP … Continue reading →

Posted in Private Market | 3 Comments

Bringing the ACA to All Communities in Massachusetts – Launching ACA Outreach Campaign

Posted on July 23, 2013 by

We want to keep you up-to-date on all the great outreach work that HCFA has been doing. If you hadn’t already heard, we are proud to partner with The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and 10 local … Continue reading →

Posted in HCFA | 6 Comments

Guess What? Docs Prescribe Drugs They Are Paid To Promote.

Posted on July 22, 2013 by

ProPublica is a non-profit news group dedicated to public interest investigative journalism. Their reporters matched for the first time federal data on payments from drug companies to prescribers and records on drugs prescribed by doctors to their Medicare patients. Until … Continue reading →

Posted in Prescription Drug Reform | 4 Comments

Patient Activation = Better Care Experiences

Posted on July 16, 2013 by

Health care providers, take note: a new study published in Health Affairs reports that patients who are “activated” recount greater satisfaction in their healthcare encounters. Patient activation refers to how empowered a patient feels in managing his or her own … Continue reading →

Posted in Quality | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Connector Board Talks Budget, Accomplishments and Goals

Posted on July 16, 2013 by

Last Thursday, the Connector Board reviewed the agency’s FY2013 and FY2014 administrative budgets, looked back at FY2013 accomplishments and ahead to FY2014 goals, and announced the Navigator program grant awards.  Materials from the meeting can be found here.  Before delving … Continue reading →

Posted in HCFA | Leave a comment

Seeking Your Participation

Posted on July 10, 2013 by

Health Care For All has been asked to help review some health insurance materials! We would like your help to make sure the materials are easy to read and understand. Two people from the Center for Health Literacy will come to … Continue reading →

Posted in Helpline, Outreach, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Fairness and Responsibility: What Should Happen Now With The Massachusetts Employer Provisions

Posted on July 3, 2013 by

As we noted on Monday, the budget just sent to Governor Patrick includes provisions repealing the Massachusetts Employer Fair Share statute. We were not supportive of the repeal, but understood the logic: since the federal ACA employer requirements were taking … Continue reading →

Posted in MA Health Reform, National Health Reform | Leave a comment

Happy Fiscal New Year! House, Senate Send FY 2014 Budget to Governor, With Some Good News for MassHealth Dental Coverage

Posted on July 2, 2013 by

Today the House and Senate sent to the Governor the FY 2014 budget (giant pdf), which  was filed by the joint conference committee late last night. Any minute now, we’ll get a detailed report from our friends at the Mass … Continue reading →

Posted in budget, MA Health Reform, MassHealth/Medicaid, National Health Reform, Oral Health, Prescription Drug Reform | 1 Comment