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March 30, 2014

Mass Connector Called Before Congress To Explain Failed Rollout

Chris Cassidy at the Boston Herald is reporting that Jean Yang, the executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, will be called before two Congressional committees to explain the failings of the exchange under the ACA on Thursday April 3rd at 10am....
Healthcare
March 17, 2014

ACA Spiking Premiums in Massachusetts, More Than 300 Cancellations of Plans

The Patrick Administration has been publicly touting that health care premiums are only going to go up 2% this year in the Commonwealth. However the anecdotal evidence fails to back up that assessment, and in a future post I will explain the...
Healthcare
January 13, 2014

General Court Silent On Connector Meltdown: Connector Playing Whac-A-Mole With Enrollment

Due to poor project management and failing IT contractors, the Connector has been forced into a very expensive game of whac-a-mole for enrollment under the ACA. Even after a tense Connector Board meeting last week, what remains unclear is how quickly the...
Healthcare
December 18, 2013

One Small Step Toward Consumer-Oriented Reform in Massachusetts Healthcare

Last week a little noticed but highly significant healthcare policy decision was made in the Commonwealth, and Pioneer Institute is proud to have been a long-time advocate for this consumer-friendly reform. Building on our research on the low cost, high-quaity care that can be...
Healthcare
November 21, 2013

“Barrier-Free Care”: An Idea That Should Hit the Wall in Committee

House Bill 2084, “An Act Relative to Keep People Healthy By Removing Barriers to Cost-effective Care,” joins the list of well-intentioned, but ill-conceived healthcare reform ideas in Massachusetts. No one likes paying money when they visit the doctor, and certainly those with...
Healthcare
October 29, 2013

In Pictures: 15 Facts Pres. Obama Needs To Know About Mass.'s Healthcare Reform

During President Obama’s Boston visit to talk about the ACA and the Massachusetts experiment, it is important to remember some context. Here are a few pictures that help to illustrate the successes and failures of Mass reform. However, caution should be used...
Healthcare
October 28, 2013

ACA Comes to Massachusetts: Post #1: 40% Premium Increase and Higher Co-pays On the Connector

Paul Levy has a compelling post over at his must-read blog, Not Running a Hospital. It will serve as the first post in an occasional, but ongoing, series documenting what the real impact of the ACA means in Massachusetts. For the last three...
Healthcare
October 25, 2013

More Americans In 3 States Have Had Their Insurance Canceled Under ObamaCare Than Have Filed An Exchange Account In All 50

Photo Credit: UPI/Gary C. Caskey This week the reality of the ObamaCare roll-out appeared in a set of news stories that serve as an ironic juxtaposition. Over 500,000 individuals have seen their insurance policies cancelled in just 3 states.  In all 50...
Healthcare
October 8, 2013

Mass Health Connector 2.0: Limited Function and Unable to Provide Subsidy and Medicaid Information

The Health Connector has spent the last 3 years telling everyone how great the new “Health Connector 2.0” will be. The state has  received $180 million to change the tires on health reform in the state, yet during week one of open...
Healthcare
October 1, 2013

Healthcare.gov Crashes During First Day, Why Massachusetts Never Had This Problem

In the grand scheme of the ACA, the first day of open enrollment today is pure symbolism and nothing else, however the early signs are not good. Healthcare.gov has crashed, and users are receiving error messages as seen below. The Washington Post...