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“For small businesses, a hesitancy to hire”
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Healthcare, Economic Opportunity, Healthcare, News /byAn illustrative piece in the Boston Globe today by Megan Woolhouse about the high cost of running a small business in Massachusetts. This is an issue that Pioneer has been researching for years. Pioneer has released numerous papers discussing possible reforms to the programs that are most burdensome. The most recent was “Creating Jobs: Reforming Unemployment Insurance in Massachusetts.” From my perspective, one of the most expensive costs was only mentioned in passing in the article. Struggling to survive in 2008 and faced with rising health care costs, the Olsons eliminated health care coverage, offering employees a one-time payment of up to $5,000. The reform passed in 2006 promised to help small companies afford health insurance. During implementation, policy decisions […]
Real Competition at the Health Connector?
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Healthcare, Healthcare /byThe Connector Board yesterday moved forward with plans to introduce “competition” into the bidding process for insurers selling to those buying coverage within Commonwealth Care (CommCare). CommCare: more than 160,000 residents – individuals who earn less than $31,000 a year or families of four that earn less than $66,000 and have no access to insurance through an employer or through Medicaid – obtain fully or partially subsidized health care at a projected cost of $822 million to taxpayers this fiscal year. (adapted from SHNS, 2/10/11) For some, myself included, a chuckle escapes whenever the word competition is raised as a novel cost saving method, and we shrug our shoulders wondering why this is new concept to the Connector. Simultaneously, we […]
Report shows reforms to state’s costly Unemployment Insurance system would create 10,000 new jobs, $7.5B in economic growth
/in Better Government, Press Releases, Press Releases: Economic Opportunity /byHigh Tech Council, Pioneer Institute push reforms to nation’s most expensive safety net
WBUR RadioBoston: State Bets On The Future Of Industry
/0 Comments/in Economic Opportunity, News /byWBUR interviews Pioneer Executive Director Jim Stergios on whether the state should be targeting particular industries for tax incentives and other benefits.
The Changing Face of Boston Schools
/0 Comments/in Blog, Related Education Blogs /byJamie Vaznis reports today on the possibility that there will be 12 new charter public schools in Boston, even as the superintendent of Boston’s district public schools is seeking to shutter a number of underperforming schools under her purview. Of the 20 proposals for new charter schools, 12 seek to locate in Boston. The Boston applications aim to create more than 6,000 seats over the next five years, but the state law caps new seats in the city at about 4,500 — meaning state education officials will have to reject some applications even if the proposals have merit. Of course, the Board could also simply reduce the number of seats made available in the charter school proposals. And my guess […]