Pandemic Pension Payout: Essential COVID-19 Public Workers Rewarded Whether Essential or Working

Hubwonk host Joe Selvaggi talks with Pioneer Institute’s Director of Research and former Massachusetts Inspector General and State Representative Greg Sullivan about HB 2808, COVID-19 Essential Employee Retirement Credit Bonus, discussing the merits of the recently proposed joint bill, its cost, and our current public debt burden in the Commonwealth.

Guest

Gregory Sullivan is Pioneer’s Research Director. Prior to joining Pioneer, Sullivan served two five-year terms as Inspector General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and was a 17-year member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Greg is a Certified Fraud Investigator, and holds degrees from Harvard College, The Kennedy School of Public Administration, and the Sloan School at MIT.

Related: Public Statement on the MA Legislature’s Blanket Pension Giveaway

Recent Episodes

Curing Medicaid’s Cold: Unwinding Pandemic Expansion Before Federal Funds End

June 20, 2023

Joe Selvaggi talks with healthcare policy expert Dr. Brian Blase about Medicaid expansion during the COVID-19 healthcare emergency and how states can efficiently reexamine eligibility criteria so as to protect the vulnerable before federal support expires.

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Hubwonk-158-Blase-Medicaid.png 512 1024 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2023-06-20 11:13:382023-06-20 11:13:38Curing Medicaid’s Cold: Unwinding Pandemic Expansion Before Federal Funds End

Climate Change Reset: Catastrophic Consensus Cools As New Models Emerge

June 13, 2023

Joe Selvaggi talks with climate expert Dr. Judith Curry about the insights contained in her newly released book, Climate Uncertainty and Risk: Rethinking our Response, in which she tracks the evolution of climate science from model development, to political weapon, to an emerging view that the best response to a changing climate is to build resiliency.

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Hubwonk-157-Curry-climate.png 512 1024 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2023-06-13 10:52:592023-06-13 11:47:33Climate Change Reset: Catastrophic Consensus Cools As New Models Emerge

Dodging Debt Default: Who Won Congressional Cage Match Compromise

June 6, 2023

Joe Selvaggi talks with CATO Institute budget expert Chris Edwards about the details of the newly passed Fiscal Responsibility Act, which avoids crossing the debt ceiling in exchange for slowing spending growth.

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Hubwonk-156-Cato-debt-ceiling.png 512 1024 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2023-06-06 10:59:252023-06-06 10:59:25Dodging Debt Default: Who Won Congressional Cage Match Compromise

Tilting Offshore Windmills: Speaking Truth to Ratepayers

May 30, 2023

Joe Selvaggi talks with energy economist Dr. Jonathan Lesser about the chasm between the promises and realities of offshore wind projects, including the likely increased costs passed to electricity consumers and taxpayers.

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Copy-of-Hubwonk-Template-18.png 512 1024 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2023-05-30 10:17:222023-07-07 10:21:08Tilting Offshore Windmills: Speaking Truth to Ratepayers

Picking Patients’ Pockets: Exposing Insurance Schemes Targeting Orphan Diseases

May 23, 2023

Joe Selvaggi talks with Pioneer Institute’s senior Health Care Fellows Dr. Bill Smith and Dr. Robert Popovian about their white paper "Out-of-Pocket Pirates: Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) and the Confiscation of Out-of-Pocket Assistance Programs." This episode explores what consumers and regulators can do to ensure those with rare diseases are not left without assistance.

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Copy-of-Hubwonk-Template-17.png 512 1024 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2023-05-23 10:39:302023-07-07 10:22:29Picking Patients’ Pockets: Exposing Insurance Schemes Targeting Orphan Diseases

Erec Smith on the Rhetoric of Anti-racist Activism

May 16, 2023

Joe Selvaggi talks with York College of Pennsylvania Associate Professor Eric Smith about the disempowering effects of modern anti-racism movement and the challenges for thought leaders who espouse more constructive narratives.

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Hunbwonk-AntiRacist.png 512 1024 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2023-05-16 10:35:082023-05-19 15:00:13Erec Smith on the Rhetoric of Anti-racist Activism

Bank of Big Brother: Exploring a National Digital Currency Future

May 9, 2023

Joe Selvaggi talks with financial privacy and digital currency expert Nicholas Anthony of CATO Institute Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives about the potential benefits and risks were the U.S. to adopt a national digital currency.

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Copy-of-Hubwonk-Template-14.png 512 1024 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2023-05-09 07:05:102023-07-07 10:23:58Bank of Big Brother: Exploring a National Digital Currency Future

Transparency, Please! MBTA Resists Disclosure of Arbitration Award

May 2, 2023

Joe Selvaggi talks with attorney for Pioneer Public Interest Law Center (PPILC) John La Liberte, about the work he did to successfully gain access to the MBTA retirement fund’s arbitration agreement after a seven-month legal struggle.

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Copy-of-Hubwonk-Template-13.png 512 1024 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2023-05-02 10:29:552023-07-07 10:25:03Transparency, Please! MBTA Resists Disclosure of Arbitration Award

Losing Talent and Treasure: Uncompetitive Tax Regime Drives Upper-Income Exodus

April 25, 2023

Joe Selvaggi talks with Pioneer Institute's Economic Research Associate Aidan Enright about his new paper "Debunking Migration Myths." With this research, Aidan examines the link between Massachusetts' tax regime and the outflow of high earners to states with more competitive rates.

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Copy-of-Hubwonk-Template-1-1.png 512 1024 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2023-04-25 10:51:452023-04-25 11:10:56Losing Talent and Treasure: Uncompetitive Tax Regime Drives Upper-Income Exodus

Rationing Vital Therapies: Should Healthcare Experts Decide Who Lives?

April 18, 2023

Joe Selvaggi talks with senior health care fellow Dr. William Smith about his new book Rationing Medicine: Threats From European Cost Effectiveness Models to Seniors and Other Vulnerable Populations, and the book’s cautionary warning against embracing European standards for valuing life saving therapies.

https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Hubwonk-Ft-Image-04-18-23.png 512 1024 Editorial Staff https://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/logo_440x96.png Editorial Staff2023-04-18 10:00:572023-04-25 10:50:45Rationing Vital Therapies: Should Healthcare Experts Decide Who Lives?