Daily Update 9/1: Commitment to Health Care Reform

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Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Today: Tuesday, September 01, 2009

• Today, Governor Patrick undergoes hip replacement surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Watch the Governor discuss his surgery on You Tube, WBZ and NECN.
   

In the Press:

• Commitment to Health Care Reform – “Thousands of legal immigrants facing steep cuts in state-subsidized health care will keep core medical services such as routine doctor visits and hospital treatment under a plan unveiled yesterday by Governor Deval Patrick.” Read more in the Boston Globe and learn more here.

• Read related stories in the Springfield Republican, the Associated Press, the State House News, the New York Times, the Metro, WWLP, and Reuters.

• Special Election – Yesterday, Governor Patrick announced the special election to fill the seat left vacant by the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy will be held on January 19, 2010. Learn more here.

• Read more in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, WBZ, Reuters, the Cape Cod Times, the Telegram, and the Berkshire Eagle.
  
• Watch and listen to coverage on NECN, WBUR radio, WBZ TV, and You Tube,

• Clean Energy Leaders – Pursuing Governor Deval Patrick’s goal to deploy 2,000 megawatts (MW) of wind power in Massachusetts by 2020, the administration has announced plans to design and install several wind turbines on state property in Gardner at both Mount Wachusett Community College and the Department of Correction’s North Central Correctional Institution. These projects will boost the state’s wind power capacity by 4.5 to 6.5 MW and provide host agencies with annual energy savings of between $1.6 million and $2.1 million, depending on the number of turbines ultimately installed. Learn more here.
  
  
  • Read stories in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, and the Sentinel & Enterprise.
    
  • Watch more on WWLP.
    
    
• Governor of the Whole Commonwealth – Governor Patrick visited Oak Bluffs last week and attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Bradley Square affordable housing project.
  
  
  • Read more in the Vineyard Gazette and the Cape Cod Times.
    

Governor Patrick tours Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard last week.

• Protecting Health Care Consumers – Following the unlawful actions of a health insurance company, HealthMarkets, Inc., the Patrick Administration's Division of Insurance announced yesterday that it has reached an agreement with the company that includes up to $5 million in payments from the company. Under the terms of the agreement, HealthMarkets will pay a $2 million fine and may pay up to $3 million more if it does not comply with the agreement. Additionally, the company agrees to withdraw from the market on Sept. 30, although current customers can stay with the company. Learn more here.
  
  • Read more in the Boston Globe.
    

This Week:

• Governor Patrick announced the administration has successfully developed a plan to provide comprehensive health insurance to the 31,000 legal immigrants who were previously enrolled in Commonwealth Care and scheduled to lose their coverage because of budget reductions. Learn more here.
  
• Governor Patrick announced the special election to fill the seat left vacant by the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy will be held on January 19, 2010. Learn more here.
  
• On Saturday, Governor Patrick attended the funeral mass for Senator Edward M. Kennedy at The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
  
• Governor Patrick attended the Caribbean Day Parade in Roxbury.
  
• On Monday, Governor Patrick announced the administration has successfully developed a plan to provide comprehensive health insurance to the 31,000 legal immigrants who were previously enrolled in Commonwealth Care and scheduled to lose their coverage because of budget reductions.
  
• On Monday afternoon, Governor Patrick announced that the special election to fill the seat left vacant by the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy will be held on January 19, 2010.

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