THE PIONEER BLOG

Joshua Archambault

60% of MA Docs Will Not Meet Ch224 Electronic Medical Record Mandate

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Putting aside a lengthy discussion about the merits of and cost saving of EMRs for a minute, comes this gem from the land of not so well thought out policy making… In 2010, the Massachusetts Legislature passed a law requiring that, as a condition of licensure starting in 2015, Massachusetts physicians must demonstrate proficiency in the use of electronic health records, computerized order entry, e-prescribing, and other forms of health information technology. Last year [ in chapter 224], the Legislature amended that statute to state that physicians must “demonstrate the skills to comply with the ‘meaningful use’ requirements.” There was no further language to explain the intent or scope of that amendment. Given that even the most optimistic forecast holds that […]

Ted Rebarber

Federal Fig Leaf or Flexibility? (by Ted Rebarber)

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As the fight over the national Common Core academic standards continues to heat up in the states, it’s worth taking another look at the Obama Administration’s claim that they are absolutely, positively not using federal power to coerce states into adopting the Common Core. For those who haven’t been following the ins and outs of this particular federal soap opera, states are now in the position of pleading with federal officials for waivers from unworkable provisions in federal law. In 2002, Congress and the Bush Administration passed the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which mandated that by the spring of 2014 (next year!) fully 100% of all public school students in America must meet grade level standards in English […]

Jamie Gass

Memorial Day: Honoring Our Fallen Soldiers and Cherishing Our Freedom

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For many, Memorial Day is regarded as the official kick-off of summer – in Massachusetts, the start of the season of backyard barbecues, beaches, and boating. But in communities all across America – small towns and large – we’ll also see lively parades with marching bands, and breathtaking images of veterans’ memorials and cemeteries adorned with rows of Star-Spangled Banners. In the 150 years since the Civil War, Americans have shown remarkable dedication to the annual ritual of honoring the one million service men and women of the United States Armed Forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country and its founding philosophy. These brave soldiers gave their lives in defense of our enjoyment of the […]

Joshua Archambault

Update and Public Statement on Continued Lack of Transparency on the Impact of the Affordable Care Act on Massachusetts

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The following is a statement from Pioneer Institute executive director Jim Stergios: “Massachusetts business owners need to be able to plan, and that means they need to have some idea about the future cost of their healthcare premiums. The fact is, state officials have information about the potential economic impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and they have thus far refused to disclose what they know to the public. “While ACA will have the effect of reducing insurance premiums for some in the state, it will also cause premiums to spike for a number of individuals and businesses. In just seven months, major changes in our marketplace will take place due to the new federal law, and it is […]

Mary Connaughton

When Is a Tax Not a Tax?

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When is a tax not a tax? When no one pays it. That’s basically the case with Massachusetts’ voluntary 5.85 percent income tax rate. In 2011, the latest year for which information is available from the Department of Revenue (DOR), a tiny fraction of the 3.5 million tax filers opted to pay the increased rate, generating under $200,000 in additional tax revenue – less than chicken feed compared to a $32.5 billion budget. The number of truly liberal among us who shade the oval to pay an extra 0.6 percent of income to the state is spiraling downward, dropping from 2,727 filers in 2009 to 2,400 in 2010 and to 1,737 in 2011. And it turns out that a hefty […]

Joshua Archambault

New “Grace Period” For ACA Implementation in Mass

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These are strange days in healthcare. Even the Boston Globe is starting to push back on and question the one-size fits all approach of the ACA. See the editorial from Sunday’s paper below. First it was the problem of Massachusetts being forced to switch our rating factors to new federal rules. (Read here for more background.) This led to the recent decision by federal HHS to unilaterally grant the state a phase-in for these new rating factor rules. Of course, this doesn’t fix the problem, it just spreads it over three years instead of one. Making matters worse, the Patrick Administration has also refused to release an updated version of reports that estimate the true impact on small business. In […]

Tom Nash

Basic information about IEP access lacking in Massachusetts public schools

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Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), geared at students whose educational needs fall outside the norm, are crucial to the academic success of tens of thousands of Massachusetts children. But because IEPs can be costly for public school systems, students on the cusp of need can easily fall through the cracks. If parents suspect their child needs an IEP to perform to his or her potential and the school has not raised the issue, the parents can request that the school district perform an evaluation.  If the district finds the child to be within norms, no IEP is proposed.  Parents can then get an independent evaluation at a cost of about $2,000 or can challenge the school to pay for it, but […]

Sandra Stotsky

Wanted: Internationally Benchmarked Standards in English, Mathematics, and Science (by Sandra Stotsky)

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The many flaws in Common Core’s standards are finally beginning to be discussed in state after state, especially the damaging expectation that all American high school students should be prepared for college, whether or not they are willing or able to do the reading that college coursework requires.  The hidden problem with such an expectation is that it can be achieved on tests of college-readiness only when empty skills (e.g., find the main idea) are applied to non-demanding texts and when performance tasks are subjectively evaluated (e.g., how well does Jamie show “critical thinking” or collaborate with peers when solving a problem). That is why Common Core’s standards were intentionally not internationally benchmarked.  Other countries expect “college-ready” students to know […]

Joshua Archambault

Oregon Medicaid Results: Half Full or Missing the Point?

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Much as been written this past week about the second year results of the Oregon Medicaid lottery experiment. (See Avik Roy’s post at Forbes for a clear and full background.) I believe the results from this study will drive many future decisions about Medicaid and how it is structured given the methodological uniqueness of the program. While the results have largely been spun in the direction of how one views the ACA, the real debate in the Medicaid program should be how to best use public dollars in order to assist low-income families and the disabled. From my perspective, it is not a matter solely of the amount of money being spent, I (along with Avik) would be happy to continue spending if we knew we […]

Jamie Gass

Anti-Common Core News Round-up (May 3): Daily Caller, Heritage, AFT, Ed Week, Wash Times, IN, MO, NY, WI, ID, TN, AZ

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As opposition to Common Core national  education standards picks up steam across the country, with more grassroots activism and movement among state and national political leaders, we’ll do our best to bring you the latest news on this front. See today’s round-up below: DAILY CALLER: Common Core a common enemy for some conservatives, liberals HERITAGE: Indiana Reconsiders Common Core AFT: Weingarten sparks dialogue on Common Core standards   Education Week: Paul Horton takes down Common Core advocates’ “conspiracy theory” sound bite   IN: Pence Says He Won’t Prejudge Common Core, But Favors Pause   Washington Times: Critics join common cause to block Common Core school standards   MO: Critics question Common Core education standards at St. Louis County meeting   MO: […]

Editorial Staff

What Anti-Common Core Activism in Tennessee Portends

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Across the country, from Florida to Michigan, Colorado to Alabama, and many states in between, legislators and governors are taking steps to withdraw from Common Core. Nationally, US Senators Ted Cruz, Chuck Grassley, Rand Paul and others are working to de-fund it, citing federal law prohibiting the government from directing education standards and testing at the state level. Opposition is growing among a broad spectrum.  Randi Weingarten, president of AFT, the second largest teachers union in the country, said earlier this week: “The Common Core is in trouble. There is a serious backlash in lots of different ways, on the right and on the left.” On Tuesday, Pioneer Institute participated in a rally in Tennessee, a public hearing about the major […]

Sandra Stotsky

A stress on informational reading in the English class will not develop “critical” thinking (by Sandra Stotsky)

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One of the sales pitches for Common Core’s English language arts standards is that a heavy diet of informational reading in the English class will increase “critical” or analytical thinking. But how are teachers and parents to know that black is white and freedom is slavery?   Reading researchers know there is absolutely no research to support the idea that increased study of “literary non-fiction” or “informational” texts in the English class will increase students’ level of analytical thinking.  No one tells us how reading “informational” texts could necessarily stimulate “critical” thinking better than literary reading–or stimulate it at all.  In fact, the opposite outcome is likelier: reducing the study of complex literature in the secondary English class to make way […]

Sandra Stotsky

Do “cold” readings of our historical documents “level the playing field”? (by Sandra Stotsky)

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Two of the many bizarre ideas that the “chief architect” of Common Core’s English language arts standards has mandated in our “national standards” or told teachers outright are the notion that teachers should do “cold” readings of historical documents like the Gettysburg Address and that doing so “levels the playing field.”  Both ideas suggest the thinking of someone who has never taught in K-12.   Worse yet, they contribute to historical illiteracy. Aside from the fact that context-free reading was not developed or promoted by Yale English professors Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren as a reading technique for historical documents, no history or English teacher before the advent of Common Core would approach the study of a seminal historical document […]

Joshua Archambault

ACA’s Alice in Wonderland Twist: HHS Unilateral Delay of Regulations

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A recent decision by HHS illustrates the arbitrary nature by which some implementation decisions are being made at CMS while highlighting the problem of a top-down approach in Obamacare. After months of small businesses anxiety in surrounding the impact of fewer rating factors due to an ACA mandated one-size-fits all policy, the Federal government recently pulled a piecemeal delayed implementation of the regulations out of thin air. (Background on the rating issue can be found in this post). One is now left to wonder if there is a legal rationale for such a decision, and begs the question if other states should be making similar appeals to HHS to forestall regulations that will spike premiums for many younger individuals 30-100 […]

Jim Stergios

Upholding the Spirit of Boston

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We at Pioneer are thankful that our loved ones are safe.  That may not be great solace to our great city and to the celebration of the revolutionary spirit that we all hold dear — and that was dirtied on Marathon Monday.  This attack caused death and injury in a way that shocks us all. For the foreseeable future, the attack will change Boston and our Patriot Day reenactments of defining battles and the ‘shot heard round the world,’ as Emerson later put it.  We will see more police, and more troops, patrolling the course and the final destination — we will see perhaps fewer runners. A day after the horror, we begin to focus on understanding who, how and […]