Press Release  INAUGURAL HPC BOARD CHAIR DR. STUART ALTMAN TO STEP DOWN AFTER 10 YEARS

BOSTON — Dr. Stuart Altman announced today that he is stepping down from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission’s Board of Commissioners, effective July 13, 2022.

Dr. Altman, the Sol C. Chaikin Professor of National Health Policy at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, joined the HPC’s Board of Commissioners in November 2012, as the first chair of the new state agency, established that same year in landmark health care reform legislation designed to control the growth of health care costs and improve health care delivery in the Commonwealth through a model that has since been replicated in seven states. With the recent inclusion of California and New Jersey, these seven states with health care cost growth benchmarks/targets modeled after Massachusetts collectively represent ~70 million U.S. residents, or 1 in 5 U.S. residents nationwide.

David Seltz, the HPC’s Executive Director, said, “Dr. Altman’s contributions to health care policy in Massachusetts and the U.S. are beyond measure. Appointed as the inaugural chair of the HPC’s Board ten years ago, Stuart has guided the development of the HPC from its early days into the nationally recognized state agency it is today. Throughout his tenure, Stuart led the HPC’s Board to take bold action to reduce health care cost growth, increase affordability, and reform health care market functioning – all with his trademark evenhandedness, intellectual rigor, incisiveness, and humor.

“I speak on behalf of all HPC staff in saying that we relied on Stuart’s unparalleled knowledge of health policy and the economics of health care throughout the past ten years, and we all valued his strategic leadership and friendship. We are thankful for Stuart’s service to the Commonwealth and the HPC and we wish Stuart and his family all the best.”

In recognition of his 10 years of service to the HPC, Director Seltz announced today that the HPC has named its conference center ‘The Stuart H. Altman Conference Center.’

Governor Baker has appointed Deborah Devaux, who recently retired as Executive Vice President at Beth Israel Lahey Health, as incoming chair of the HPC Board of Commissioners.

Director Seltz added, “I look forward to continuing the HPC’s work with incoming chair Deborah Devaux in pursuit of the HPC’s mission of better health and better care – at a lower cost – for all residents across the Commonwealth.”

###