Health plan design dominates meetings with legislators

During the MMA’s nine Legislative Breakfast Meetings last month, local officials across the state praised lawmakers for passing legislation to reform municipal health insurance, which had been a top municipal priority in order to reduce the pressure of skyrocketing insurance costs on cities and towns.
 
Hundreds of local officials attended the legislative breakfast meetings, which were held in Ashland, Belmont, Haverhill, Lakeville, Monson, Phillipston, North Reading, Sheffield, and Sunderland. Municipal officials thanked legislators who attended the meetings and praised the leadership of Senate President Therese Murray, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate Ways and Means Chair Stephen Brewer, House Ways and Means Chair Brian Dempsey, and Rep. Stephen Kulik, who was the lead sponsor of the MMA’s health reform legislation.
 
For seven years, the MMA had been campaigning for municipal health insurance reform, which could save communities an estimated $100 million statewide.
 
In North Reading, municipal officials thanked House Minority Leader Brad Jones for inserting language into the state budget that eventually restored $65 million that had been cut from local aid earlier this year.
 
This restoration, along with municipal health insurance reform and a record amount of Chapter 90 transportation funds, is welcome news after a crushing economic downturn and more than $800 million in local aid cuts since fiscal 2009.
 
Local officials also heard from MMA staff as well as representatives and senators about the likely impact of federal cuts on the state’s fiscal condition, with a look toward the fiscal 2013 state budget. Local officials expressed specific concerns about federal environmental regulations, budget reductions and unfunded mandates.