Massachusetts

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• April 17, 2013 | from Boston Globe Hearings scheduled on proposed pediatric-care cuts Dept. of Public Health will hold a hearing on Cambridge Health Alliance's plan to eliminate 11 out of 27 beds for kids and teens with acute mental mental illness; hearings are required by state law when hospitals plan to discontinue essential services.
• April 15, 2013 | from Framingham Patch Mass 2-1-1 To Enhance Access for Children and Families in Need Starting Today Mass Health and Human Services in partnership with MASS 2-1-1 will provide 24-hour access to information and referral service to families with children at risk beginning April 15; this initiative will connect families to community-based services.
• April 9, 2013 | from Kaiser Health News After Expanding Coverage, Massachusetts Focuses On Taming Costs Massachusetts is moving towards curbing health care costs by working to implement an annual limit on health care spending and increasing price transparency. As part of this effort this fall price comparisons will be available online for consumer viewing.
• April 5, 2013 | from Commonwealth of Massachusetts Health Policy Commission A Report on Consumer-Driven Health Plans: A Review of the National and Massachusetts Literature This report from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Health Policy Commission examines the uptake of consumer-driven health plans and their effects on consumer and provider behavior.
• April 4, 2013 | from WBUR State Report On Autism Addresses Gaps In Health Care, Services A new state report from a Governor appointed Commission on Autism highlights service and support gaps for children and adults with Autism.
• April 4, 2013 | from The Boston Globe Cambridge Health Alliance latest to cut beds for children with mental illness In response to financial pressures Cambridge Health Alliance is reducing the number of beds for in patient treatment of children with mental illness and eliminating such services for children under the age of eight.
• March 27, 2013 | from Boston Children's Hospital Innovation in Child Health: A Breakfast Briefing Boston Children's Hospital is hosting a briefing at the Massachusetts State House on April 12, 2013. The briefing will cover Massachusetts' health policy as well as treatment innovations.
• March 1, 2013 | from WBUR Mass. Weighs Governor’s Plan To Tax Candy And Soda Gov. Patrick is committed to taxing sugary drinks and candy as a step towards combating obesity; and a coalition, Healthy People, Healthy Economy is now working on a bill to lift the sales tax exemption, raising an estimated $53 million a year.
• March 3, 2013 | from Boston Globe Medical costs are on the rise, putting at risk state’s efforts to tie health spending growth to economy Rising medical costs might push residents' annual health care costs up. Medical cost trend is expected to rise between 6 and 12 % this year; healthcare officials are on the watch to manage the rising costs.
• February 9, 2013 | from Washington Post Danger ahead? Massachusetts health costs are rising – fast. The state's "medical cost trend" is expected to climb between 6 and 12 percent this year.The new Health Policy Commission will continue to play a critical role in reviewing rates charged by insurance companies and doctors.
• January 28, 2013 | from Boston Globe Program brings dental care to children without dentists 31 public hygienists in MA have been licensed to offer dental care to low-income kids and adults through a new program; in this role, hygienists can perform the basic preventative and restorative work performed by dentists.
• January 28, 2013 | from Common Health Tax Soda? How About Making Fruits And Veggies Cheaper, Too? Professor Sean Cash of Tufts University weighs in on the impact of food taxes on overall health; in light of the Governor's proposal to lift the sales tax exemption on soda and candy.
• January 27, 2013 | from Boston Globe New insurance tools will let patients discover costs Harvard Pilgrim plans to launch Now iKnow, a software application that will present consumers with information on cost and quality and help make better decisions by ranking doctors and hospitals.This tool will be available to members in MA, NH & ME.
• January 23, 2013 | from The Boston Globe Governor Deval Patrick proposes $34.8b state budget, boosted by $1.9b tax increase Governor Patrick's budget proposal focuses on several new sources of revenue including removing the sales tax exemption for soda and candy.
• December 12, 2012 | from The Boston Globe Deval Patrick announcing Cabinet shake-up; Sheriff Cabral to resign to head public safety Governor Patrick announces several major shifts in his cabinet including the departure of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. JudyAnn Bigby.
• December 4, 2012 | from Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center Mid-Year Budget Cuts for FY 2013 This brief from the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center outlines the mid year budget cuts made by Governor Patrick this week.
• December 1, 2012 | from Boston Globe Mass. push offers lesson on selling Obamacare Massachusetts State's advocacy of ObamaCare sheds light on how many more people need to be encouraged to adapt to this controversial federal law.
• November 29, 2012 | from The Boston Globe Boston Children’s Hospital names next CEO Boston Children's Hospital has named Sandra Fenwick, current Chief Operating Officer to take over as Chief Executive Officer, beginning next fall.
• November 23, 2012 | from Wicked Local Framingham Reversing adolescent obesity Started in 2010, this 10-week group program stresses education and self-empowerment over obsessing over the weight scale for adolescents ages 11 to 18. The program is now open in Framingham in conjunction with MetroWest Medical Center and MetroWest YMCA.
• November 16, 2012 | from The Boston Globe Cost commission begins work to rein in health spending in Massachusetts The new board of the Health Policy Commission, tasked with reducing health spending in Massachusetts met for the first time on Nov. 16th to begin the working of reaching health spending targets set in this year's payment reform legislation.
• November 12, 2012 | from The Boston Globe Parents win cleft palate insurance coverage Massachusetts parent advocates win coverage mandate for services to children with cleft lip or palate.
• October 17, 2012 | from Collaborate for Healthy Weight Boston Team Takes STEPS to Health in Roxbury, MA A collaborative working on weight loss in Boston has developed a tool to work with families on preventing and treating childhood obesity. The toolkit includes information about the role of sugary drinks.
• October 9, 2012 | from State House News Service Hospitals frustrated by Medicaid cuts see fractured state relations Massachusetts hospitals are challenging new state policies on Medicaid contained in new contracts as well as the recent payment reform legislation.
• September 24, 2012 | from Boston Globe Pot perceptions: Some worry that legalizing marijuana could drive use among teens, leading to long-term damage A study published last month links regular marijuana use to a decline in IQ raising questions by doctors on the risk of brain damage from adolescents' use of marijuana.
• September 6, 2012 | from WBUR.org Advocates: Children’s Mental Health Care In Mass. Still Treated Unequally Despite a law in Massachusetts aimed at improving mental health services for children advocates say there is still a long way to go before all children receive services and mental health parity is achieved.
• August 19, 2012 | from MassLive Holyoke and Springfield physicians give out books at children's regular exams Pediatricians and family doctors in Holyoke and Springfield are participating in the Reach Out and Read program, which provides free books to children at their regular checkups, helping to track their developmental and literacy levels.
• August 14, 2012 | from Herald News Why clean air matters to Mass. kids’ health In this guest opinion column, MA attorney general Martha Coakley and American Lung Association Jeff Seyler emphasize the importance of clean air for the health of children in the Bay State, especially for the 1 in 10 who struggle with asthma.
• August 7, 2012 | from Children's Mental Health Campaign Measuring Children's Mental Health Care: What Massachusetts Needs to Do to Raise the Grade The Children's Mental Health Campaign has released a new report highlighting the lack of comprehensive, standardized data on key system indicators of children's mental health care and its impact on parity.
• August 3, 2012 | from Boston Globe Federal grant to help fund Mass. health exchange Massachusetts has contracted with Orion Health, a global health software company, to oversee development of a statewide network for hospitals and doctors to exchange electronic health records. The state expects to begin connecting providers this fall.
• July 31, 2012 | from New York Times Massachusetts Aims to Cut Growth of Its Health Costs The Massachusetts legislature has passed a first-in-the-nation bill that seeks to limit the growth of health care costs in the state. The bill would not allow spending on health care to grow any faster than the state’s economy through 2017.
• July 24, 2012 | from Boston.com Two insurers see new markets beyond Mass. While the political squabble over the federal health care law continues,Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care see an opportunity to expand their out-of-state businesses and pick up thousands of new customers, especially within New England.
• July 16, 2012 | from The Massachusetts Health Policy Forum Overweight and Obesity in Massachusetts A policy brief from the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum outlining the severity of the physical activity problem in Massachusetts and the initiatives and efforts already in place to improve activity levels.
• July 11, 2012 | from Boston Globe Blue Cross plan shows reduction in spending The largest private-sector effort to tame medical spending in Mass. appears to be getting results, as doctors who agreed to work on a budget have cut costs by using less-expensive imaging and lab companies and expanding office hours to reduce ER use.
• June 1, 2012 | from Catalyst Center Your questions on the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin Answered This report offers an explanation of the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin that proposes allowing states to define the Essential Health Benefits (EHB) in the Exchange plans using a benchmark approach, and the impact this proposal could have on kids.
• July 9, 2012 | from The Boston Globe Obamacare: a windfall for Massachusetts Though Massachusetts already has near-universal health coverage, if all goes well with Obamacare, it will reduce financial pressure on the state, making its economy more competitive. The ACA is expected to save MA hundreds of millions of dollars per year.
• June 28, 2012 | from FOX News Proponents of the Affordable Care Act honor Senator Kennedy After the health reform ruling, Massachusetts residents honored the late Senator Kennedy and his dedication to seeking affordable health care for all Americans. Gov. Deval Patrick spoke, stating that he is proud that MA was the model for the ACA.
• June 18, 2012 | from The Boston Globe Insurers to stay with key benefits of US health law Though the much-anticipated Supreme Court ruling on the ACA has yet to be issued, with an expected decision by the end of the month, insurers are promising that regardless of the outcome, some of the law’s most popular aspects will remain in place in MA.
• June 3, 2012 | from Politico Health reform gets messy in Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick wants Massachusetts to “crack the code” on health care costs, but some are wondering whether the cost saving effort will even work
• May 31, 2012 | from Kaiser Health News Feds Seek To Reduce Disparities In Childhood Asthma Rates What do agriculture, transportation and justice have to do with childhood asthma? More than you think. Federal officials have announced a new inter-agency task force designed to eliminate the racial and ethnic gap among children suffering from asthma.
• May 31, 2012 | from American Economic Review The Impact of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform on Health Care Use Among Children A researcher analyzes the impact that the 2006 health care reform in Massachusetts had on the insurance coverage, health-care utilization patterns, and health outcomes of children under 18 in the state.
• May 20, 2012 | from Boston.com Hospitals mobilize on health cost bill Partners HealthCare System Inc has led the lobbying charge among hospitals worried that House legislation - intended to bring relief to consumers & employers facing high insurance premiums - could harm their ability to provide quality care and cost jobs.
• May 21, 2012 | from Kaiser Family Foundation Massachusetts Health Care Reform: Six Years Later This brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation examines Massachusetts’ implementation efforts over the last six years and looks to what lies ahead under federal health reform.
• May 18, 2012 | from WBUR Senate Passes Health Care Cost Control Bill With Few Major Changes In a near-unanimous vote — 35-2 — the Massachusetts Senate passed a major health care bill that legislators estimate will save $150 billion over the next 15 years.
• May 17, 2012 | from Boston.com MA business leaders call to end tax break on soda and candy 30 Massachusetts business leaders this week urged House and Senate leaders to include in their health care cost control legislation a provision to eliminate the exemption from food taxes for soda and candy.
• May 10, 2012 | from Washington Post Massachusetts wants to cut $150 billion in health costs. Can it succeed? Massachusetts is inching toward health-care legislation that, if successful, could overhaul how the state pays for health care — and save billions in the process.This blog post describes what it will take for the proposed bills to become law.
• May 7, 2012 | from Boston.com It's Children's Mental Health Awareness Week--how aware are you? Dr. McCarthy gives an introduction to key themes and important takeaways related to children's mental health as part of children's mental health awareness week.
• May 4, 2012 | from WBUR A New Approach To Cutting MA’s Health Costs: Throw Spaghetti The Massachusetts House of Representatives has introduced a health care cost containment and payment reform bill, aimed at curbing health care costs on the Commonwealth while improving quality and preserving vital health related jobs.
• May 1, 2012 | from TELEGRAM & GAZETTE Winchendon in-school mental health center reaches kids in need In-school mental health center proves to be an effective and useful resource for students in need of counseling because of mental and behavioral health struggles, providing an example of the positive effects of having a full service on-site health center.
• April 27, 2012 | from UMass Medical School Sagor expanding role in keeping foster kids healthy Dr. Linda Sagor has been named DCF's senior consultant on health care system issues for children in foster care, where she will be responsible for developing and implementing a plan to improve the health of all Massachusetts children in foster care.
• April 23, 2012 | from BostonGlobe.com Obesity rates down for infants, toddlers After three decades of increases, a new study shows a declining rate of obesity in infants and children of some communities in MA. However, experts also discuss the disparities between obesity rates in low-income vs. high income communities.
• April 17, 2012 | from South Coast Today Health care reform not busting the state's budget, state taxpayers foundation says The Massachusetts Tax Payers foundation released a report analyzing the costs associated with Massachusetts' expansion to near universal health coverage. The report concluded that Massachusetts health reform has had little impact on the state's budget.
• April 16, 2012 | from Boston Globe Massachusetts leads nation with lowest rate of accidental deaths in children The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new statistics on the rate of accidental child deaths in the country, showing that the rates had significantly decreased in the past decade. Massachusetts had the lowest rate in the country.
• April 13, 2012 | from Worcester Telegram & Gazette New Fitchburg program targets obesity in kids With only 38 out of every 100 people considered at a healthy weight in the city, the state and federal governments are hoping a new program geared toward kids will slim down waistlines and get people on track with healthier dietary habits into adulthood.
• March 28, 2012 | from WBUR Health Policy Insiders Propose What They Call ‘Smart Tiering’ Massachusetts Representative Steve Walsh is partnering with an economist to rethink the idea of health plan tiering. In a proposal they are calling "smart tiering" different hospitals would be higher cost for different types of services.
• March 11, 2012 | from Springfield Republican via Masslive.com Viewpoint: Paid sick time should to be a right in Massachusetts Massachusetts Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera shares why a bill that would ensure paid sick leave to all Massachusetts employees is so important for child and family health.
• March 7, 2012 | from WBUR and Kaiser Health News Coming Soon To Massachusetts' Dental Offices—Maybe Massachusetts may follow in the path of Vermont and several other states nationwide which are considering or have added a midlevel dental practitioner to the dental health team to increase access.
• February 17, 2012 | from CommonHealth Gov. Patrick Addresses Children’s, Dana-Farber Controversy A brief explanation of Governor Patrick's recent amendment which will narrow and clarify who can receive care at Children’s and Dana-Farber regardless of network tiers within their health insurance plans.
• February 20, 2012 | from The Boston Globe Children’s Hospital reports progress on asthma A recent Children’s Hospital Boston study shows that hospitalizations for asthma have been dramatically cut by their Community Asthma Initiative, a program that helps families reduce the conditions that trigger attacks.
• January 25, 2012 | from The Massachusetts Association for School-Based Health Care Securing a Place for School-Based Health Centers in Health Reform Press release from The Massachusetts Association for School-Based Health Care (MASBHC) regarding their recent grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
• February 9, 2012 | from Kaiser Health News Mass. Nurse-Midwives No Longer Need Physician OK To Practice Under a new state law, Massachusetts nurse-midwives will no longer need a doctor to oversee their decisions, a change which will serve to increase access to midwifery care and, more broadly, women’s and infant's health care.
• February 9, 2012 | from Boston.com Driven by loss, father inspires tireless pursuit of a cure After the loss of his son to cystic fibrosis, a Boston father was driven across decades and across the country to find a cure. His efforts played an integral role in the recent approval of a drug that will affect the lives of thousands of CF patients.
• January 27, 2012 | from Wicked Local Wareham State fund cushioning blow to families with severely ill children Started under the premise that no family should have to forego emergency treatment for a child because of their inability to pay for it, the Catastrophic Illness and Children Relief Fund continues to aid numerous Massachusetts families each year.
• January 24, 2012 | from Boston Globe Children’s, Blue Cross deal curbs payments Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has finalized a contract with Children's Hospital Boston which will shift the hospital to global payments and away from fee for service. The move is seen as part of Massachusetts ongoing move toward payment reform.
• January 19, 2012 | from WBUR Mass. ‘Culture Of Coverage’ Is Key To Near-Universal Children’s Health Insurance The Kaiser Family Foundation's fifty state survey on children's health insurance has identified Massachusetts as a leader in coverage and in legislative and administrative support for children's coverage.
• January 17, 2012 | from www.wwlp.com Insuring the state's still-uninsured A coalition of child health advocates is urging the legislature to adopt a bill that would streamline the enrollment process for children eligible for MassHealth, the state's medicaid program.
• December 21, 2011 | from Boston Globe Cavity-prevention tooth varnish is underused, Mass. health officials say In an effort to increase the rates of children receiving fluoride tooth varnish and decrease incidences of cavities Massachusetts regulators are proposing to loosen the requirements for who can apply the varnish.
• December 20, 2011 | from The Boston Globe US extends Medicaid waiver for Massachusetts The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved Massachusetts' medicaid waiver, allowing Massachusetts to continue to operate state health reform. The waiver also clears the way for streamlined medicaid eligibility for children.
• December 13, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Summit focuses on children’s mental health Providers, advocates, and child welfare specialists convened on Monday to discuss the current state of children's mental health services in Massachusetts and ways to improve the outcomes for children.
• November 22, 2011 | from Massachusetts Advocates for Children Transition bill H.3720 passes the House The House voted in favor of H. 3720. This bill provides a mechanism for current special education teachers and rehabilitation counselors to obtain an Endorsement in Transition Services.
• December 4, 2011 | from Swampscott Patch Students Attend Forum on Childhood Obesity Massachusetts students spoke directly to legislators about their challenges and successes in trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle and effective ways to reach out to children and parents about obesity issues.
• November 28, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Tiered health plans cutting costs, restricting options Consumer advocates and hospitals with specialty care or populations, such as childrens' hospitals are urging legislators to revamp the rules for tiered provider networks in Massachusetts.
• November 1, 2011 | from The New York Times A Mobile Oasis in a ‘Food Desert’ The Greater Boston Food Bank has begun a program aimed at delivering fresh produce to food desserts in Massachusetts. The program currently serves Germantown in Quincy MA, an area where child poverty has greatly increased during the recession.
• October 28, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Hub unveils no smoking signs today in tot lots Boston will unveil new signs discouraging smoking at all child specific parks in the city. The signs are to remind people of the dangers of second hand smoke to children, and empower parents to insist on a smoke free environment.
• October 12, 2011 | from Gatehouse News Service, Taunton Daily Gazette Survey: Most Massachusetts parents unaware of prescription drug dangers A new survey of Massachusetts parents found that many underestimated the dangers and prevalence of prescription drug abuse among adolescents. In addition parents were often unaware of the relationship between prescriptions drugs and illegal narcotics.
• October 12, 2011 | from SouthCoast Today New Bedford picked for childhood obesity program New Bedford and Fitchburg have been chosen to receive funds to launch programs to reduce rates of childhood obesity. The funds come from a new CDC grant to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
• October 11, 2011 | from Politico Pro Medicaid waiver entangled in safety net in Massachusetts The extension of the Medicaid waiver that allows Massachusetts to operate its landmark health care reform has hit a roadblock over funding for “safety net” providers, who still face high demand for care.
• October 9, 2011 | from Springfield Republican Viewpoint: Cuts in health care will eventually cost us all In this Op-ed piece Amy Whitcomb Slemmer, Executive Director of Health Care for All discusses the heavy costs any cuts to medicaid would have for children and families.
• October 3, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Vaccine registry finds backing Health advocates in Massachusetts are pushing for the state legislature to pass a law creating a centralized state registry of vaccines, providing a single reference point for what vaccinations a patient has had or is due to have.
• October 2, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Classes come first, but schools must add more physical activity An editorial by the Boston Globe speaks to the importance of physical education for children and supports two bills currently filed to increase physical activity and education requirements in Massachusetts schools.
• September 26, 2011 | from The Enterprise Local schools facing stricter health guidelines from feds and state The school-lunch price changes come as many food service directors are working to get ahead of changing state and federal nutrition rules for school lunches.
• September 13, 2011 | from The Boston Herald Mass. bill targets cadmium in kids’ jewelry The Public Health Committee of the Massachusetts Legislature is holding a hearing on Tuesday on a bill that would ban the sale of children's jewelry with heightened levels of the chemical cadmium
• September 7, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Boston launches ad campaign against sugary beverages Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston Public Health Commission are launching an extensive media campaign aimed at parents and teens to discourage consumption of sugar sweetened beverages. The campaign hopes to reduce obesity rates in the city.
• September 6, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Battling children’s obesity The anti-obesity clinic at Children's Hospital Boston is working to retrain children and families about what is healthy eating. Many parents who are invested in eating healthy are stymied by confusing labels and outdated nutritional information.
• August 30, 2011 | from Business West Autism Legislation: What It Means for Your Child Massachusetts attorneys describe the wide benefits available to children with autism spectrum disorders under a new Massachusetts law. The law mandates private insurers cover a variety of autism treatments including speech and physical therapies.
• August 29, 2011 | from Boston Herald $1M donation helps Project Bread teach kids to be healthy Project Bread is launching an anti-obesity, pro-nutrition school based campaign aimed a low income children with funds from Arbella Foundation. The project will provide produce to schools, training for cafeteria staff, and parent education.
• August 15, 2011 | from Sacramento Bee FoodCorps National Service Program Kicks Off With Inaugural Training for 50 Youth Leaders Massachusetts is one of several states getting members through a new nutrition focused service corps. FoodCorps members will work with local schools to combat childhood obesity through education, cultivating school gardens, and farm to school programs.
• July 13, 2011 | from The Boston Globe New Mass. school food rules ban sweet snacks Sugary sodas and sweet snacks are out along with potato chips and other vending machine cuisine under Massachusetts' new school nutrition standards approved Wednesday.
• July 14, 2011 | from The Boston Herald Health advocates: Fed spending cuts could cost Massachusetts $3B A coalition of Bay State health advocates united Thursday to protest Medicare and Medicaid spending cuts under consideration by Congress and the White House.
• June 15, 2011 | from TuBoston.com HCFA-Sponsored statewide challenge successfully enrolls 1,479 uninsured children in health insurance Health Care For All announced today that, through the efforts of 66 participating organizations, its Statewide Enrollment Challenge has enrolled 1,479 previously uninsured kids during the month of May.
• June 17, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Bill Clinton to honor 3 Boston schools for healthiness Three Boston schools will be among 275 nationwide honored Monday night by former President Bill Clinton for increasing healthy eating and physical activity.
• May 13, 2011 | from www.wbur.org Statewide Challenge Aims To Insure Children Without Health Care Dozens of health insurance enrollment groups in Massachusetts are promising to bump up efforts to find and insure children without health coverage.
• May 11, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Ensuring coverage for youngsters This month, teams of workers from a consortium of hospitals and community health centers, armed with fliers and posters in eight languages, will redouble efforts to search out uninsured children and sign them up, said Amy Whitcomb Slemmer, executive direc
• May 11, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Poll finds support for soda tax The Boston Foundation, the largest public charity in New England is working to apply the state sales tax to soda and candy, a measure aimed at raising revenue and curbing consumption.
• April 15, 2011 | from The Washington Post Massachusetts, pioneer of universal health care, now may try new approach to costs Massachusetts is debating whether to become a role model again - by replacing the fee-for-service system that has long defined U.S. medicine.
• April 15, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Mass. marks 5th anniversary of health care law In the five years since the state's landmark health care initiative was signed into law, it has served as a blueprint for national health care, a political football in last year's elections and a talking point in the 2012 presidential contest.
• April 6, 2011 | from GovMonitor Governor Patrick Outlines Next Phase Of Health Care Reform In Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and members of his Administration led a forum to discuss the cost challenges facing Massachusetts and the initiatives already underway to help address these issues.
• April 6, 2011 | from Health & Medicine News Increased, Mandatory Screenings Help Identify More Kids With Emotional/Behavioral Problems Under a new Massachusetts mandate, the number of Medicaid well-child behavioral screens completed in the state increased from 80,000 a year to 300,000 per year from 2008 to 2009.
• March 28, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Special needs, special care PACT - the Pediatric Advanced Care Team at Children's Hospital Boston and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute manage complex pain and symptoms while supporting families as they navigate bewildering medical terrain, set goals of care, and make tough decisions
• March 14, 2011 | from MedPage Today Mandate Spurs Mental Health Screening for Kids In Massachusetts, a court-ordered mandate accompanied by a modest financial incentive appeared to increase rates of behavioral health screening for children covered by Medicaid, researchers found.
• March 8, 2011 | from The Boston Globe State rise in pediatric mental health screenings There's good news and bad news in terms of compliance with a state law requiring doctors to offer routine mental health screening to all children on MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program.
• February 24, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Patrick's cuts pose long-term health risks Increasing medication copayments and by charging copayments for the use of non-emergency transportation may wind up causing the opposite of what they are intended to do and may actually increase overall expenses.
• February 10, 2011 | from The Boston Globe Sugar, fat face expulsion The Department of Public Health proposed new regulations to make healthy choices an enforceable norm, rather than an easily avoided option in school cafeterias.
• February 7, 2011 | from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services HHS Official, Dr. Koh, Joins Cambridge Officials to Celebrate 1st Anniversary of First Lady's Campaign to End Childhood Obesity U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Howard K. Koh joined Cambridge Mayor David Maher and other local officials at the Haggerty School to celebrate First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative.
• February 3, 2011 | from U.S. Senator John Kerry Sen. John Kerry: New Study Shows MA Leads Nation in Children's Health Care Massachusetts ranked first overall in the State Scorecard on Child Health System Performance, 2011, which examines states' performance on 20 key indicators of children's health care access, affordability of care, prevention and treatment, the potential to
• January 20, 2011 | from PR Newswire Massachusetts Ahead of the Curve in School Nutrition The Chefs in Schools program, led by Project Bread, has demonstrated that healthy school meals can be prepared within budget.
• December 17, 2010 | from WBUR.org Doctors Prepare For The Next Wave In Health Care Some doctors across the state are changing the way they care for patients. They're getting ready for the move away from paying for every visit or medical test towards giving doctors a lump sum for patient care.
• December 17, 2010 | from Business Insurance Massachusetts' insured rate hits 98.1%: Analysis The percentage of residents enrolled in a health care plan continues to increase in Massachusetts, the only state to achieve near-universal health insurance coverage, according to a report.
• December 17, 2010 | from The Boston Globe State bans bottles and cups with BPA The Massachusetts Public Health Council voted unanimously yesterday to ban the sale and manufacture of baby bottles and sipping cups containing the chemical BPA.
• December 1, 2010 | from State House News Service New coalition to push health policy agenda at State House Repealing the state's sales tax exemption on soda and candy will be a top priority for a new coalition of government and business leaders committed in the next session to passing a comprehensive public health bill that will begin to address a rise in chro
• November 29, 2010 | from The Boston Globe Health law snag may cost hospitals Partisan tensions on Capitol Hill are delaying efforts to fix an error in the federal health care law that could cost Children's Hospital Boston and others like it millions of dollars in added drug costs.
• October 29, 2010 | from The Boston Globe Boston children experience steep decline in lead poisoning The number of Boston children diagnosed with lead poisoning has dropped from 5,590 cases in 1993 to 163 cases through the first nine months of 2010, state, federal and local officials announced today.
• September 30, 2010 | from WHDH-TV Boston parents making a 'healthy call' "Healthcare for All" is holding a free phone-a-thon to explain how parents in Massachusetts can get health insurance for their kids.
• September 30, 2010 | from wbur.org Trying To Insure The Last 20,000 Kids Even here in Massachusetts, in the state with the most insured people bar none, there are still at least 20,000 children who are not covered.
• September 28, 2010 | from Eagle Tribune Schools call for action against obesity Parents of the city's overweight and obese children will be getting confidential mail from the Lawrence Public Schools, briefing them on the health concerns about obesity and what they should do to prevent it.
• September 24, 2010 | from Leominster Champion Health Alliance helps to keep kids safe In an effort to reduce head injuries and keep kids safe while riding their bicycles, HealthAlliance Hospital distributed 450 free bike helmets throughout the summer.
• September 27, 2010 | from Daily Hampshire Gazette Health, it's what's for lunch Last week the Easthampton City Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting Farm to School, a nationwide project that brings fresh fruit and vegetables into grades K-12 schools for meals and snacks.
• September 27, 2010 | from Public News Service Getting MA Kids Connected to Health Care -- One Phone Call at a Time This Wednesday, Sept. 29, Health Care for All staff and volunteers will be manning the phones all day and well into the night in hopes of enrolling children in free or low-cost plans.
• September 16, 2010 | from The Boston Globe Mass. has fewest uninsured children Massachusetts has the lowest rate of uninsured children in the country, according to a report released today by a philanthropic group.
• September 9, 2010 | from The Boston Globe Alarms on youth obesity in Mass. More than one-third of Massachusetts students evaluated during the 2008-2009 school year were overweight or obese, according to a report released yesterday that revealed stark differences in how the obesity epidemic has touched cities and towns.
• September 7, 2010 | from wbur.org Mass. First To Ban ATVs For Kids Under 14 Notice to the tens of thousands of Massachusetts families with All-Terrain Vehicles: If you were ever foolhardy enough to let children ride your ATV, those days are over.
• August 9, 2010 | from wbur.org Together, Family Battles Childhood Obesity A new law requires certain state agencies to develop guidelines to fight childhood obesity. Holyoke, one of the state's poorest cities, has become a leader in the fight with public health initiatives to teach families how to eat.
• July 31, 2010 | from Boston Globe Governor signs bill to improve nutrition for schoolchildren Fried foods out; fruit, vegetables added to menu
• August 3, 2010 | from Health Care For All What do other 33 states have for children that Massachusetts does not? Justin is a six year old boy with asthma. He stays healthy and out of the hospital as long as he takes his medications. One morning, Justin's mom called the Health Care For All's HelpLine in a panic.
• July 28, 2010 | from The Boston Globe House OK's bill making insurers pay for autism services The Massachusetts House passed a bill yesterday that would require insurance companies to cover a broad range of services for children with autism.
• July 23, 2010 | from Boston Globe Legislature passes bill targeting childhood obesity A bill to restrict the sale of high-calorie, high-fat, and high-sodium snacks in schools has hit Governor Deval Patrick's desk and could be law within 10 days.
• June 17, 2010 | from The Bay State Banner Federal health care program targets low-income children Since January, non-profit Health Care for All, one of the only Massachusetts institutions awarded a federal grant, enrolled 222 kids in a state subsidized health insurance paid for by the CHIPRA program.
• May 14, 2010 | from The Boston Globe Health plan riles small businesses Small businesses are crying foul over a proposal they say would shift more health insurance costs onto them for the treatment of developmentally disabled children, a move they say runs counter to pledges from Massachusetts lawmakers to help ease employers
• April 28, 2010 | from The Boston Globe This clinic dispenses an invitation to health The South End Community Health Center received more than $304,000 in federal grants to take on a challenge from the US Health and Human Services Department to go into local communities and find the children who do not have health insurance but are eligibl
• April 26, 2010 | from The Boston Globe Scourge of asthma is acute in N.E. Not only does New England have the nation's highest rate of asthma, but the disease remains poorly controlled in most patients - routinely causing trips to the hospital and lost days at school and work, according to a study being released today.
• April 14, 2010 | from The Boston Globe Patrick unveils student health care option Governor Deval Patrick announced a plan yesterday to provide more comprehensive health insurance options for college students.
• March 13, 2010 | from The Boston Globe Leading the fight against kids' obesity The state Senate recently approved a bill to set new nutritional standards for schools that would effectively ban the sale of trash snacks, soda, and other sugary drinks, such as so-called "sports'' drinks.
• March 15, 2010 | from The Boston Globe 'C' on kids' dental care doesn't pass In Massachusetts, one in 10 minority children goes to school with pain caused by completely preventable dental disease. That means lost school time, challenged learning, impaired nutrition and health, and sometimes, if left untreated, it can result in ser
• March 19, 2010 | from The Boston Globe Boston receives $12.5M to combat obesity, smoking Boston has received $12.5 million in federal stimulus funding for a sweeping new effort to combat obesity and reduce smoking.
• March 11, 2010 | from The Boston Globe Support grows for limiting junk food in Mass. schools A bill that would ban the sale of sugary drinks and junk food in school vending machines and school stores is gaining momentum in the Legislature, as Massachusetts combats a troubling rise in childhood obesity rates.
• February 24, 2010 | from The Boston Globe Mass. gets a 'C' for children's oral health Massachusetts earned a "C" for the oral health of its children from a national report released today on state dental policies intended to reach low-income children.
• February 11, 2010 | from Wicked Local Somerville Somerville mayor addresses childhood obesity at White House Among the various experts speaking at the launch of Let's Move, Michelle Obama's campaign to fight childhood obesity, was Mayor Joe Curtatone, who talked about some of the simple lifestyle changes that people can make to be healthier.
• December 22, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Kerry says health bill would help Mass. Senator John F. Kerry returned in between votes to Massachusetts today to declare that the bill the Senate is about to pass would reward, rather than penalize, the state for leading by passing its own health reform in 2006.
• November 9, 2009 | from Cap Cod Times Bill seeks coverage for autism services State Rep. Barbara L'Italien, D-Andover, whose 19-year-old son is autistic, introduced a bill that would require insurance companies to cover treatment for autism at the same level as other physical ailments.
• November 4, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Children's Hospital, 3 health plans push cost-control effort Children's Hospital Boston has agreed to limit increases in fees it charges the state's major health insurers next year as part of a larger push to control the rise in pediatric health care costs.
• November 4, 2009 | from The Boston Herald Families seek coverage for hearing aids House Bill 910 calls for insurance companies to cover up to $1,600 per hearing aid, which typically cost $2,000 each.
• October 31, 2009 | from A Healthy Blog MA Children's Mental Health Workforce Capacity: "Who is going to do the work?" There is a workforce shortage among mental health practitioners treating children with mental health needs.
• October 30, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Child mental health workforce may shrink, report says More than half of the mental health professionals who work with children in Massachusetts plan to leave the state or the field in the next five years, according to a workforce capacity report released today.
• August 19, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Sugar tax is sweet deal for health of children A tax on sugary beverages would at once raise the revenue necessary to support a proper approach to children's health and prevention and improve the health of children by decreasing consumption of such beverages.
• September 1, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Somerville health initiative wins kudos A national report highlighting the steps communities can take to improve the health of their citizens has singled out Somerville for its city-wide program encouraging healthy eating and increased physical activity.
• August 27, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Flu derails obesity initiative in schools A state campaign to reduce childhood obesity will get off to a slower start than planned because school nurses and public health authorities are consumed with preparations for the flu season.
• July 29, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Lawmakers set to restore funds House and Senate lawmakers plan to vote today on a spending package that would provide $40 million for healthcare coverage for legal immigrants and at least $2 million for Greater Boston's two zoos.
• July 28, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Insurers face a push for new benefits Massachusetts legislators this year have filed a flurry of bills - more than 70 in all - that, if passed, would substantially expand the medical services insurers are required to cover for patients but also potentially raise healthcare costs.
• July 24, 2009 | from Kaiser Health News Massachusetts' Individual Mandates, Insurance Exchanges Are Examples For National Plan "Three years into its experiment with near-universal health care, Massachusetts has some 'dos and don'ts' for the nation as it grapples with the best way to cover tens of millions of uninsured Americans," the Associated Press reports.
• July 23, 2009 | from Kaiser Health News Massachusetts Could Provide Model To Pay For Reform USA Today reports that three years after mandating coverage for all, Massachusetts is emerging as national model.
• July 15, 2009 | from A Healthy Blog Committee Hears Childrens, Oral Health Bills The Health Care Financing Committee held hearings on key Health Care for All priority bills on children's health and oral health.
• July 14, 2009 | from The New York Times Massachusetts Takes a Step Back From Health Care for All The new state budget in Massachusetts eliminates health care coverage for some 30,000 legal immigrants to help close a growing deficit, reversing progress toward universal coverage just as Congress looks to the state as a model for overhauling the nation'
• July 11, 2009 | from The Republican Oral exams urged for youngsters The Massachusetts Dental Society is calling for mandatory dental exams for children entering kindergarten as part of a campaign linking oral health to overall health.
• July 10, 2009 | from BNA's Health Care Daily Report Massachusetts Health Care Plan Faces Serious Budget Woes as Revenues Decline Declining revenues and a spike in enrollees in state-subsidized health coverage have put a strain on the ambitious Massachusetts health reform plan enacted in 2006.
• June 9, 2009 | from Health Care for All Taking Care of (Unfinished) Business Last session's victory in passing An Act Relative To Children's Mental Health did not include the original section on collateral contacts, or coordination of care. The Children's Mental Health Campaign, working with Representative Ruth Balser and Senator
• June 9, 2009 | from South Coast Today Agency to expand children's psychological services A $3.4 million Community Service Agency Grant from the Massachusetts Behavior Health Partnership will expand children's psychological services into Acushnet, Fairhaven and Dartmouth.
• May 11, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Vulnerable children are suffering twice Just as the need rises for family support and protecting children, the state is cutting back on services through direct cuts, tightened eligibility standards, and restricted access.
• May 1, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Soaring health care costs hobble Bay State families, study finds Over one million Massachusetts residents are in families that are still spending more than 10 percent of their pre-tax income on health care.
• March 25, 2009 | from The Official Website of the Office of Health and Human Services Massachusetts Selected As Part of National Initiative to Increase Coverage for Uninsured Children Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Awards Massachusetts $1 Million to Help Maximize Children's Enrollment in Health Insurance
• March 16, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Taking the measure of youth obesity Next month, health regulators in Massachusetts are expected to mandate that, just like in Arkansas, every public school student should be weighed and measured so parents can receive a snapshot showing whether their child is headed toward a serious medical
• February 19, 2009 | from The Springfield Republican Mass. Dental Society lobbies for law to require all children to be examined before entering kindergarten A state legislator from Western Massachusetts joined with dentists to launch a push to pass a bill to require every child in the state to have a dental exam before entering public or private kindergarten.
• January 29, 2009 | from The Boston Globe Health advocates left reeling after hearing budget plan Several key public health programs, including the state's landmark tobacco control initiative, face sharp cuts under the state budget proposed yesterday by Governor Deval Patrick for the next fiscal year.
• January 23, 2009 | from The Boston Globe A quick cure for inaction Using an increased tobacco tax to pay for children's insurance is a healthcare win-win. The Senate should get the bill to Obama's desk as quickly as possible.
• January 5, 2009 | from CQ HealthBeat Coverage Now Nearly Universal in Massachusetts Looking at the state as a whole, health insurance coverage is now nearly universal in Massachusetts, with the uninsured rate dropping from just over 5 percent in 2007 to 2.6 percent in 2008, according to a new survey.
• March 6, 2007 | from The Boston Globe New England In Brief Advocates urge children's health coverage Politicians and children's health advocates pushed for renewal of federal funding for children's health insurance in an event at Children's Hospital yesterday.
• July 19, 2007 | from The Boston Globe Editorial Bush's unhealthy notions Bush should reauthorize and expand the Children's Health Insurance Program -- and abandon the deeply misguided arguments he has been making against the proposal.