So the Globe breathlessly trumpets, above the fold today: "Shake-up envisioned in health insurance: Higher deductibles seen possible for many." Holy crap! That's gonna suck! Better shut the whole thing down!Oh wait, that's already … [Read more...]

The health care issue is so big, and the stakes are so high, that it's the kind of issue on which politicians get to show what they're really made of, for better or worse.So far, it's mostly been for the better.  Sal DiMasi, whose … [Read more...]

From a study last February, here are the Top 20 employers whose workers make use of the MassHealth or the Free Care Pool. In other words: They're not paying for their workers' health care: We are. It's sorted by number of workers using that … [Read more...]

WBUR had two good things on Morning Edition today: An interview with Health Care for All's John McDonough on the basics of the health care problems and the bill just passed by the House; and Martha Bebinger's report on the bill, for which … [Read more...]

I emailed my rep this morning urging him to support employer "pay or play" in the House health care bill, and I got a very nice email back with this astonishing line in it:You are the first person on either side of this crucial … [Read more...]

Via a State House source, this State House News item on a speech given today by the Senate President:Senate President Robert Travaglini on Thursday morning admonished his fellow lawmakers to exercise caution as they advance legislation … [Read more...]

Here's Our Guv addressing DiMasi's health care plan tonight:"I think people are familiar with my positions as related to taxation.I don't want to see taxes rise. I want to see taxes lowered. I sharePresident Travaglini's concern about … [Read more...]

I'm echoing some of what Charley said, but just to be clear: there is absolutely no way I would consider supporting an individual mandate for health insurance if there is no employer mandate.  I've already made pretty clear that I … [Read more...]

So after some uproar from the business community, House Speaker DiMasi admits a technical error (not "minor", but literally technical) in his health care bill, and says he'll fix it so as not to penalize companies that do offer … [Read more...]

There's a point from the Globe's editorial today about the health care debate that really bears repeating, especially as we begin to hear resistance from some (though not all) business groups:Spokesmen for small businesses came out against … [Read more...]