The first six weeks of this session have been
dominated by private talks over dueling, high stakes House and Senate
plans to drastically overhaul health care laws in an effort to get
insurance into the hands of hundreds of thousands of individuals who
lack it.
Health care talks have monopolized the attention of legislative leaders,
and left advocates of myriad budget accounts and policy changes cooling
their heels.
State House News Service
Advances -- Week of February 12, 2006
[Excerpt] -- Health care talks
Two Massachusetts teachers' unions yesterday endorsed a
citizen's initiative for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing access to
affordable healthcare for all state residents.
The Boston Globe
Friday, February 17, 2006
Teachers' unions endorse healthcare bill
The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) board of
directors approved a motion to hold a statewide rally in Boston this year,
despite internal information that such a rally lacks majority support among the
union's local affiliates.
The Education Intelligence Agency
Communiqué – February 13, 2006
Mass. Teachers Association to Hold Rally Despite Lukewarm Support
Chip Ford's CLT Commentary
While The Best Legislature Money Can Buy is still
wandering about aimlessly, "handing out citations and kissing babies" as
Senate Minority Leader Brian Lees (R-East Longmeadow) describes it, the
issue of health care reform -- and who will pay for it -- continues to
loom large on the horizon.
On Tuesday, Barbara attended a forum of experts in
Salem and has addressed it in her column this week, which will appear
here early next week.
The latest entry into the discussion is none other
than the teachers unions -- though how this issue affects education
eludes me. The link this time can't be that it's "for the
children," already covered by MassHealth. Of course if it costs
taxpayers more money, it'll have the teachers unions' support.
But the teachers union has its own internal problems
it should reflect upon: apparently there's little rank-and-file
interest in a rally the union bosses hope to organize. What if you
threw a rally and nobody showed up? "The union has yet to decide
why it will rally," the Education Intelligence Agency reported.
Maybe if the union can come up with an excuse for one, something
relevant to complain about, it might generate some interest among its
members? Teachers get perennial pay raises, step increases,
generous sick-days and vacation time-off, pensions and health insurance,
all at taxpayers expense. No wonder there's so little enthusiasm.
What do they have left to "rally" about -- or for? It appears that
the teachers union these days is simply struggling to justify its
existence.
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Chip Ford |
State House News Service
Advances -- Week of February 12, 2006
[Excerpt]
Health care talks
The first six weeks of this session have been dominated by private talks
over dueling, high stakes House and Senate plans to drastically overhaul
health care laws in an effort to get insurance into the hands of
hundreds of thousands of individuals who lack it.
Health care talks have monopolized the attention of legislative leaders,
and left advocates of myriad budget accounts and policy changes cooling
their heels.
"It’s holding up everything else because of the money," said one
activist who has closely tracked state government for many years.
The main parties to the talks are the six conference committee members
and Senate President Robert Travaglini and House Speaker Salvatore
DiMasi. Everyone else on the Hill, including the other more than 190
members of the Legislature, are waiting for a breakthrough.
During one of the few formal Senate sessions of the year last week,
Senate Minority Leader Brian Lees (R-East Longmeadow) referenced an old
saying that politics is all about handing out citations and kissing
babies.
"Basically that’s what our job has been has been so far this year," Lees
said. "We have not been in session much because the chair knows right
now that health care is holding all kinds of things up and we’re working
diligently to change that and hopefully that will happen and then a slew
of things will come through here."
Several factors appear to be working against major expansion in health
care, including reports that the federal government is seriously looking
to control growth in Medicaid and other entitlement programs in an
effort to restrain the growing federal budget deficit. Business groups
are persistently opposing a proposed payroll tax aimed at generating
revenues to cover the uninsured. And House and Senate leaders charged
with striking a deal appear to have dug their heels in, despite public
statements about steady progress and consensus on many of the relevant
issues.
Factors working towards the development of a consensus bill include the
threatened loss of huge amounts of federal funding, the general feeling
that the existing situation is untenable for both the uninsured and the
insured, the bill’s role in the development on next year’s state budget,
and the fact that Beacon Hill leaders have put their political capital
on the line and promised an agreement. Lastly, initiative petitions and
constitutional amendments calling for sweeping health care reforms are
advancing on their own separate tracks.
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The Boston Globe
Friday, February 17, 2006
News Briefs
Teachers' unions endorse healthcare bill
Two Massachusetts teachers' unions yesterday endorsed a citizen's
initiative for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing access to
affordable healthcare for all state residents.
The Massachusetts Teachers Association represents 95,000 educators,
administrators, and other professionals; the Massachusetts Federation of
Teachers represents more than 22,000 teachers, nurses, bus drivers, and
librarians.
The amendment, which would require the state to provide access to
necessary health and mental health services including prescription
drugs, must receive an approval vote by 50 legislators at the 2006
Constitutional Convention in May before it would appear on the November
ballot.
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The Education Intelligence Agency
Communiqué – February 13, 2006
On the Web at http://www.eiaonline.com
[Excerpt]
Massachusetts Teachers Association to Hold Rally
Despite Lukewarm
Support
The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA) board of directors approved
a motion to hold a statewide rally in Boston this year, despite internal
information that such a rally lacks majority support among the union's
local affiliates.
Prior to the vote, the MTA board surveyed more than 100 local affiliates
to gauge support for a statewide rally. Forty-six failed to respond,
five were uncertain about the idea, 32 said no, and 32 said yes (of the
latter, 15 claimed they would have trouble getting members to attend).
Perhaps the response reflected MTA's own ambiguity. The union has yet to
decide why it will rally. The MTA board authorized the demonstration and
the establishment of a committee to determine what the demonstration
will be about. MTA has a budget line-item specifically for public
protests.
I'm picturing the committee sitting quietly in a union hall somewhere,
having doughnuts and coffee, when some bright light exclaims, "How about
a rally for more funding?" upon which they all shout, "Brilliant!" and a
poker game breaks out.
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