AMSA members recently attended an event cosponsored by AMSA, CIR, Doctors for America and the Massachusetts Chapter of the ACP.

Featured speakers included:

Nancy Wagman of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, who gave an overview of the Massachusetts budget, perception vs. reality on how Massachusetts compares to other states on taxes, and the hard, practical choices for the state budget caused by a historic drop in revenue relating to the economic recession.

Suzanne Curry of Health Care for All talked about the impetus for implementation of national health reform at the state level, and how the combination of these factors were guiding Massachusetts’ choices in regards to Commonwealth Care, MassHealth and other safety net programs.

Brian Rosman of Health Care for All explained how Massachusetts successful coverage expansion through their health care reform now made tackling the out of control costs and inequities of the delivery system more imperative. He gave an overview of the Governor’s proposed bill on payment reform.