In his new blog for Boston.com, “Health Stew,” John McDonough promises everything from soup to nuts on health care policy, politics, nutrition, exercise, and other health-related matters. McDonough, professor of the practice of public health and director of the Center for Public Health Leadership at Harvard School of Public Health, played a key role in both Massachusetts and national health reform efforts; his new book, Inside National Health Reform, provides a behind-the-scenes look at passage of the Affordable Care Act.
To launch his new blog, McDonough wrote about the high cost of Massachusetts health insurance premiums. He acknowledged that the Commonwealth’s premiums are the highest in the nation. But he also pointed out that when median household income is factored in (Massachusetts has the 4th highest in the nation), the data show that, relatively speaking, Massachusetts residents actually pay a smaller percentage of their incomes than, say, Arkansas residents—who pay the lowest dollar amount in the nation for health insurance, but a greater percentage of their total income.
Learn more
Why IS Health Care Reform So Elusive? (Harvard Public Health Review)
Inside National Health Reform (WNYC interview)