Twenty prominent Massachusetts business organizations representing thousands of employers today announced an initiative to save $100 million in health care costs by reducing avoidable use of hospital emergency departments. The newly formed Massachusetts Employer-Led Coalition to Reduce Health Care…

Legislators are contemplating legislation designed to reduce cost in the state’s MassHealth program and in the health care industry more generally. The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation believes that meaningful legislation in this area is vital to the state budget as well as the overall economy…

I am Eileen McAnneny, President of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to provide accurate, unbiased research with balanced, thoughtful recommendations that strengthen the state's finances and economy in order to foster the long-term well-being of the Commonwealth.…

The Foundation’s latest report highlights that the soaring costs of retiree health care have consumed more than a quarter of the growth of property taxes in the state’s poorest communities since 2009. Addressing these huge unfunded liabilities must be a priority for the next Governor and…

The Foundation testified on the enormous $46 billion in unfunded retiree health care liabilities facing Massachusetts state and municipal governments.

With only $63 billion set aside, the state and municipalities have funded less than half—just 43 percent—of the $146 billion they need to pay for benefits already promised to current employees and retirees.

Facing unaffordable retiree health care costs, municipalities are searching for ways to control costs that do not require state legislative action. This presentation details some of the options available to municipalities under current law.

Over the last eight months, the state’s OPEB Commission has done an enormous amount of good work in addressing the unaffordable costs of retiree health care facing the state and municipalities.