The Massachusetts secretary of health and human services joined members of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition for the nonprofit’s annual meeting in Williamstown this afternoon. The secretary gave a rundown of the decisions she’s made since taking office in January.Marylou Sudders left a teaching position at Boston College’s Graduate School of Social Work to join Governor Charlie Baker’s cabinet in January. The professionally-trained social worker oversees the state’s largest executive agency, accounting for $19.4 billion of a $36 billion state budget.
Sudders took over as health and human services secretary less than one year after the March 2014 closure of North Adams Regional Hospital. During that time, Pittsfield-based Berkshire Health Systems purchased the site where it operates a satellite emergency center but no inpatient services. Sudders says she doesn’t know what the final story will be for the potential return of a full-service hospital, still the goal for a number of advocates and residents of North Adams.
“It did exist at one time so I don’t want to say ‘no,’” Sudders said. “But I think we have to really sit down and understand what the needs of the community are and how can we ensure healthcare access from urgent care up to and including inpatient services.”
Sudders also addressed last year’s collapse of the state’s online health insurance marketplace known as the Connector. Sudders now chairs the Connector’s board because she says the state’s Medicaid program, MassHealth, and the Connector are completely intertwined. She says the state was too focused on getting the website out the door because of Massachusetts’ groundbreaking 2006 health insurance law.
“The infrastructure of MassHealth was ignored,” she said. “So we put all our resources into the Connector and yet MassHealth is the big engine that has to keep on going. We had a complete tilt in the system. So by my chairing that board, I feel I’m like the fulcrum of the seesaw, is to ensure that both parts are moving together so that the almost 2 million people who rely on MassHealth or the Connector get their health insurance.”
A report in the Republican newspaper says enrolling people in temporary Medicaid coverage because of the failure cost $658 million, half of which is expected to be covered by the federal government. The report says Massachusetts also spent $281 million on the exchange websites, above the projected $174 million. The U.S. attorney’s office has subpoenaed documents relating to the Health Connector, according to the newspaper.
A state audit released earlier this week found MassHealth may have squandered $500 million through unnecessary payments or missed savings opportunities from 2009 to 2014. Sudders questions whether the amount is that high, but says there is truth to the report, which will bring changes.
“We have started that path of a sustainable MassHealth program,” Sudders said. “And please do not interpret that as ‘She’s going to cut benefits in order to save money.’ I’m a social worker. I did not come back to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to slice and dice our way out of budget issues. But we have to have a sustainable MassHealth program for all the other things that we know are so important for people’s health and human services. The more that the MassHealth budget grows, like double digit increases every year, the less there is for all those other really important human and healthcare needs.”
Sudders also stands by the state’s decision to hit the reset button and start a rolling application process for issuing medical marijuana dispensaries licenses legalized by voters in 2012.
The Northern Berkshire Community Coalition annual meeting was the final one for executive director Al Bashevkin, who is leaving after 29 years.
“And I want to thank all of you for the opportunity to serve this community as the leader of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition,” Bashevkin said. “With your support this organization will thrive and flourish for its next 29 years.”
