Health and human services’ current structure does have advantages, said Doug Howgate, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a nonprofit budget watchdog. The marginalized communities the office is most likely to serve tend to need assistance from several public programs at once, and…

Eileen McAnneny, president of the business-backed Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and a commission member, said she became aware through that work of the variation in public health services. “You can compare and contrast Boston, that has a robust public health department, to small towns in…

AS THE PRESIDENT of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, I spend a lot of time considering ways to reduce health care costs.  In my opinion, the best way to reduce health care costs is not to incur them at all. A well-functioning public health system can be an effective tool for reducing…

To truly advance its equity goals, Massachusetts must take a leadership role in collecting and analyzing racial and ethnic health disparities, a new Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation report suggests. The report underlines how Massachusetts must improve data collection and reporting requirements…

“Eliminating racial and ethnic health care disparities will lead to a healthier Massachusetts, a stronger economy and clear progress toward the shared imperative of a more equitable society,” said MTF President Eileen McAnneny in a release. “This analysis provides a clear roadmap for state…

Now, with a bill delegating how to spend nearly $4 billion in American Rescue Plan Act and state surplus funding sitting on his desk, Baker must put his signature on it quickly. He received the legislation Dec. 3 after it languished for months amid House and Senate deliberations and he has until…

A 2018 report by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation estimated the cost of lost productivity in the state due to people unable to work, foregone income due to fatalities, absenteeism and "presenteeism," and excess health care costs at nearly $10 billion. That's on top of the $5.5 billion cost of…

Letter from Eileen McAnneny to State Senators Cindy Friedman and Ann-Margaret Ferrante, Chair and Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, in support of public health investment of ARPA funds.

The work of the Special Commission on Regional and Local Public Health was codified recently by the legislature. MTF’s President Eileen McAnneny was part of this commission formed to determine how best to improve the numerous municipal public health departments, provide standards of care, and do so…