On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of The Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk with Michael Caljouw, the state commissioner of insurance. They discuss new regulations for insurers, concerns about the stability and solvency of the Massachusetts health insurance system, and insurer consolidation.

Hosts:

John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health

Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute

Guest:

Michael Caljouw, Commissioner of Insurance for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Description: This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon senior reporter Chris Lisinski hosts a roundtable discussion to dive into the details of Gov. Maura Healey’s new $63.4 billion state budget proposal with Viviana Abreu-Hernandez, president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, and Jim Stergios, executive director of the Pioneer Institute. Guests weigh in on the sustainability of proposed spending increases, if revenue from the so-called millionaires tax is being used as voters intended, and how changes in Washington, DC affect budgeting in Massachusetts.

Host:

Chris Lisinski, senior reporter for CommonWealth Beacon

Guests:

Viviana Abreu-Hernandez, president of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center

Jim Stergios, executive director of the Pioneer Institute

This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporters Jennifer Smith and Chris Lisinski talk about Gov. Maura Healey's 2026 State of the Commonwealth speech. They compare her tone and policy position to earlier years, review reactions to the speech, and look ahead at what this says about Healey's run for reelection.

This week on the Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon senior reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, and Alex Sheff, senior director of policy and government affairs at Health Care For All. Gov. Maura Healey announced last week that the state would use $250 million from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund to assist some Massachusetts residents who have lost enhanced premium tax credits from the federal government. So how sustainable is that plan, and who gets left out?

This week on the Codcast – our second annual start-of-the year roundtable! CommonWealth Beacon senior reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson; Jennie Williamson, the state director for research and advocacy organization The Education Trust in Massachusetts; and Clark Ziegler, the outgoing executive director of the quasi-public Massachusetts Housing Partnership, who is retiring after four decades at the helm. They discuss their legislative wish list for the second half of the two-year cycle, break down what has and hasn’t been a lawmaking priority, and dive into the current relationships between cities, the state, and the federal government.

On this end-of-year episode of The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon editor Laura Colarusso sits down with reporters Jennifer Smith, Chris Lisinski, Jordan Wolman, and Hallie Claflin to discuss their 2025 storylines and what they each plan to cover in the new year.

On the monthly Health or Consequences episode of the Codcast, John McDonough of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health and Paul Hattis of the Lown Institute talk with Zirui Song, associate professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School and a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. They discuss Song’s research and thoughts about the primary care crisis nationally and in Massachusetts, and dive into the promise and issues with private equity in health care.

On this week’s episode of the Codcast, Michael Jonas, executive editor of CommonWealth Beacon, sits down with Patrick Tutwiler, Massachusetts’ Secretary of Education. Tutwiler co-chairs a graduation council tasked with proposing new educational standards and assessments to replace the MCAS. Take a look behind the scenes.

On this week’s episode of The Codcast, what it means when political forces come for the arts. CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Élider DiPaula, the new executive director of Project STEP — a 12-year music program focused on bringing students from underrepresented or marginalized backgrounds into the world of classical string music. The program lost a federal grant this spring, as did hundreds of other Northeast programs considered out of step with President Trump’s nationalist priorities for the arts. DiPaula talks about his background as a Brazilian composer and performer, and what classical music sounds like, who it’s for, and who created it is both personal and political.

How much of Boston’s tax needs should fall on residents? The question is splitting City Hall and the business community, as dropping commercial property values and rising home values threaten a 13 percent residential tax hike in 2026. This week on the Codcast, Greg Maynard, executive director of the Boston Policy Institute, joins CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith as the city council prepares for a Wednesday vote expected to raise taxes on single-family homes. Maynard, who has butted heads with Mayor Michelle Wu since his think tank’s founding, says the administration is not moving quickly enough to inform the public about dire revenue forecasts or adopt new measures which could make up the difference.