Maternity care deserts and four more stories

 

ADVERTISEMENT

The Saturday Send

Welcome back to the Saturday Send, a weekly digest of stories from CommonWealth Beacon that you may have missed.  This week, we're taking a deeper dive into health care in Massachusetts, including maternity care deserts, the crisis of primary care, and how immigration policy is affecting health care workers. Plus: new polling shows Mass. residents primarily continue to receive in-person care and expiring federal credits could jack up premiums for 300,000+ Bay Staters. Check out those stories below, and, as always, thanks for reading. — The CommonWealth Beacon team

ADVERTISEMENT

Two years after the closure of Leominster’s maternity unit, a region is struggling By Hallie Claflin It’s been two years since Clinton Hospital’s maternity unit closed. The fallout of the closure paints a complicated picture in a state without maternity care deserts. But experts and advocates say recent losses and impending cuts to Medicaid make maternal health care access in Massachusetts something that stands to get worse. READ MORE

ADVERTISEMENT

‘The gaps have become too big for too many’ By Chris Lisinski Physicians, policymakers, and advocates hope to make a breakthrough this term on legislation that would boost the share of health care dollars that go toward primary care amid provider burnout and growing wait times for appointments. READ MORE

ADVERTISEMENT

Health care workers struggle to navigate closures and immigration fears By CommonWealth Beacon staff This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith continues health care month coverage in a conversation with 1199SEIU executive vice president Cari Medina and Anestine Bentick, lead medical assistant at South Boston Community Health. They discuss existing pressures on stretched workforces, the impacts of recent closures, and how immigration policy bleeds into the health care space. READ MORE

ADVERTISEMENT

Phoning it in – Mass. residents still lean toward in-person care as telehealth booms By Jennifer Smith While the rise of telehealth in the early 2020s “did improve access to care,” according to the Health Policy Commission, not everyone is able to use the new virtual hospital landscape. “Specific actions could be taken to further enhance access for more rural and vulnerable populations.” READ MORE

Massachusetts braces for ‘gut punch’ of health insurance costs if Congress fails to act By Chris Lisinski Elected officials, marketplace administrators, and health care advocates are ramping up pressure on Congress to extend Biden-era federal tax credits that help Americans pay for health insurance. Without action, they warn, out-of-pocket costs could increase dramatically. READ MORE

Job Board Chief Executive Officer – Boston Public Market Association Chief Financial and Operating Officer – Massachusetts Housing Partnership Legislative and Membership Administrator – Utility Contractors’ Association of New England Executive Director – Massachusetts Housing Partnership Executive Director – Metro Housing|Boston (Metro Housing) Director of Training and Capacity Building – Mass Mentoring Partnership Deputy Director – Free Software Foundation Director of Development – Boston Debate League Director of Green Infrastructure – City of Boston Sr. Business Development Manager – Resonant Energy ADVERTISE YOUR JOB LISTING

Published by MassINC

CommonWealth Beacon, 11 Beacon Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02108, United States