THE PIONEER BLOG

Mary Connaughton

Sunshine Week 2017: Highlights from Pioneer’s Government Transparency Team

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It’s Sunshine Week once again! While it may fall close to spring break, it means something even better than Coppertone and Daytona Beach. Each year during Sunshine Week, Pioneer reviews the government transparency work it has completed through the year to highlight efforts to bring greater public accountability to Massachusetts. Our objective is to have the Commonwealth rank among the nation’s most transparent states; while there has been progress when it comes to bringing sunshine to Beacon Hill, we still have an uphill climb. So put your sandals away, get a cup of hot coffee, and take a look at some of Pioneer’s highlights: So you leave the doctor’s office, prescription in hand, and you want to take it to […]

Alex Carlin

Cursive and Historical Literacy: A Real World Example

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In the age of computers and modern convenience, the relevancy of cursive is continually called into question. Compared to the countless fonts designed with modern aesthetics, cursive seems unwieldy – and when placed side-by-side with written print, less readable. Yet across the nation students still learn how to write and read in cursive, and it is important that this practice continues in education. Historical Documents Written in Cursive While everyday use of cursive is a relic of the past, it is still critical in ensuring historical literacy. Students should be exposed regularly to primary source documents, and these documents should be presented in their original form, adding a quaint romanticism while connecting students to the past the document represents. This […]

Editorial Staff

Improving Access To Health Systems Available To Older Patients

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Guest post by Alex Carlin As more Americans age in place, policymakers face a number of challenges in ensuring adequate healthcare access for older adults. A central concern is the growing divide between the services available to elders living in urban settings and those in rural communities. In less densely populated areas, which often have a higher concentration of seniors, limited access to medical resources and care professionals is increasing the risks of untreated disease, leading to higher costs and earlier death. For this growing segment of the population, there are significant barriers to care, including lack of transportation, difficulty leaving home, and cost concerns. A study by Pew concluded that roughly 20 percent of elderly Americans, due to a […]

Editorial Staff

A Safe Bet For Massachusetts

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As talk heats up around town about a possible deal to sell and redevelop the 161 acres at Suffolk Downs, it is worth sharing the view of Pioneer’s founder Lovett C. Peters, expressed way back in 2005, when slots were being proposed for the racetrack. Over a decade ago, Pete wrote in an op-ed for The Boston Globe that: “THE OWNERS of racetracks have a failing business. They report losing money and want the Legislature to enhance their profits by authorizing slot machines. Proponents argue that slots are a win-win for Massachusetts, because they will increase state revenues and boost our already thriving tourism industry. The evidence tells quite a different story.” Instead, underscoring the difficulty that high housing prices create […]

Barbara Anthony

Governor’s Plan to Cap Healthcare Provider Prices Misses the Mark

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The Governor filed a number of healthcare market reform proposals along with his fiscal 2018 budget. One of his proposals aimed at reining in healthcare costs would impose limits, or capitate, the prices that insurance companies are allowed to pay providers (physicians and hospitals); it appears that the capitated prices serve as an indirect way of putting price caps on provider prices.  Hmm, sounds complicated. Let us try to explain. Background The best place to start is with a description of the problem the Governor is trying to fix. Massachusetts has an insatiable appetite for healthcare services. According to the Health Policy Commission (HPC), the Bay State’s total spending on healthcare increased by 4.1 percent in 2015 to $57.4 billion; […]

Editorial Staff

The Power of Competition at the T

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In 2015, right after record-setting snowfall shut down the region’s transit system, Pioneer developed governance and reform proposals to put the MBTA on a stronger fiscal footing. One of our reports concerned The Ride, the regional paratransit system for customers with disabilities, showing that: The Ride’s budget was out of control and procured through contracts that needed to be revisited, as the T was locked into an outdated, expensive, and unsatisfactory system. For the majority of The Ride’s customers, the services could be provided by taxicab and ridesharing companies at a fraction of the cost and at a higher quality of service. Since then, the MBTA has launched an on-demand pilot program that uses these new vendors to provide paratransit […]

Editorial Staff

Meeting the Housing Needs of an Aging Population

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Guest post by Mariella Rutigliano Many Americans struggle to pay for housing — and the reality today is that a significant number of those who will retire over the next decade will struggle financially to stay in their own homes. According to a 2014 report released by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University called “Housing America’s Older Adults,” the single largest budget item for most people is housing costs. The limited supply of housing in many communities nationwide exacerbates the problem of meeting the growing demand of our aging population and their families. As America’s population ages, the majority of retirees increasingly prefer to age in place. A study conducted by AARP revealed that 85 percent of […]

Editorial Staff

Getting the T Back on Track

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The reforms that the Massachusetts Legislature advanced at the MBTA just two short years ago are having a tangible impact on the T’s financial viability and operations. In the near term, more remains to be done to close the T’s annual budget gap, including three big items: competitively bidding the T’s bus maintenance and in-person customer services, further expanding the use of ridesharing and taxicabs in providing The Ride paratransit services, and reforming the T’s troubled pension system. Just as importantly, the T continues to leave millions of capital dollars – including dollars targeted at critical maintenance projects – unspent.  Below are some recent news items and research from Pioneer that is all aimed at transforming the quality of service […]

Barbara Anthony

Statement on Governor Baker’s Proposed Healthcare Business Assessment

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In January, the Baker Administration introduced a number of healthcare market reform proposals in its fiscal 2018 budget. The public face of these proposals is found in a slide presentation on the website of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS). There have also been news stories written about the proposals and certain stakeholder groups have been briefed. Beyond the EOHHS document, however, there is not much transparency or explanation about any of these proposals. Two of them are especially important as each has potentially far-reaching impacts: a new annual $2,000 penalty per employee on businesses who do not attain 80 percent enrollment in their employer-sponsored health plans and a proposal to limit what insurance companies may pay […]

Editorial Staff

Join Us Mar. 20: “A Fire You Can’t Put Out”: Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Civil Rights, & School Choices

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In the aftermath of a contentious electoral season, highlighted by debates about the nature of our democracy and equality of educational opportunity, Pioneer Institute is hosting a forum that celebrates the birthday and legacy of the late Birmingham, Alabama civil rights leader Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth. The event will feature his widow, award-winning historians, and civil rights and school leaders discussing how best to make the promise of civil rights a reality through school choice options for underserved families. Please RSVP by Monday, March 13th to Lauren Corvese at 617-723-2277 ext. 202. Featured Speakers: Sephira Shuttlesworth is Regional Support Director, SABIS® Educational Systems. Previously, she was Director of the Mid-Michigan Leadership Academy, a SABIS® Network school located in Lansing, Michigan. Dr. […]

Editorial Staff

Celebrating Presidents’ Day & K-12 U.S. History Instruction

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As we celebrate Presidents’ Day, Pioneer Institute is pleased to share video highlights, research, and op-eds that we have produced in recent years marking the importance of key presidents in American history – and the vital importance of their inclusion in K-12 instruction. In recent years, Pioneer has actively promoted rigorous, content-based academic standards that include U.S. History and civics instruction. The Institute has published research and polling on the lack of understanding of U.S. History, which has largely been neglected in public schooling; sponsored a U.S. History essay contest for Massachusetts high school students; and hosted numerous events and papers featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning U.S. historians and internationally-recognized figures. Watch video clips of our many public forums, below. Watch our […]

Mary Connaughton

The Clock is Ticking…….

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The clock is ticking towards December 30, 2017.  As part of the 2016 public records reform legislation, An Act to Improve Public Records, a special legislative committee was established to “examine the accessibility of information concerning the legislative process of the general court and the expansion of the definition of public records.” The establishment of the committee is a win for government transparency advocates. The committee, made of members of the legislature, can solicit input from journalists, public policy research groups and other individuals interested in the process. One of the specific missions of the committee is to determine the constitutionality of subjecting the Governor’s Office, the legislature and the judiciary to public records laws.  The law, as presently written, […]

Barbara Anthony

State Leadership Needed on Healthcare Price Transparency

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Governor Baker’s recent healthcare proposals include provisions aimed at improving transparency in healthcare pricing. These policies imply that it is necessary to release more information in order to realize cost savings through healthcare price transparency measures, but current state laws already require the disclosure of price information upon request. Enforcing existing laws and creating incentives for carriers and providers to promote consumer friendly price transparency are necessary complements to the Governor’s proposals. The Governor’s proposal (found in a slide presentation on the EOHHS website) has two major components.  The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) is to: “Collect data from the health plans to develop a market-level report.” Create a list of healthcare pricing data across all providers for […]

Barbara Anthony

Achieving a Sustainable and Transparent Healthcare System

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As the Legislative Special Commission on Provider Price Variation wraps up its work (their potential report/recommendations are due in mid-March), PioneerHealth took this opportunity to provide our expertise and vision for moving towards a sustainable and transparent healthcare system. We envision a host of policy recommendations, enhanced enforcement of existing laws, and a statewide education campaign to help consumers learn to make value-conscious decisions. Following these steps will put the Commonwealth on a path towards healthcare cost containment.

Editorial Staff

Family Caregiving & the Promise of Technology

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Guest post by Ben Margolin When older Americans require around-the-clock care, yet want to remain in their homes, their families often end up as caregivers. There are significant financial barriers to ensuring that older adults adhere to their medication schedule and have access to the right doctors and specialists, all while feeling safe in their homes. This often presents a considerable burden to households. Consider, for instance, that the average caregiver in the U.S. will dedicate almost 20 hours a week in unpaid care to an elderly parent for a period of five years while holding some form of employment. Fortunately, recent advances in technology are bringing new hope to those facing this issue. Innovations in telemedicine, for example, are […]