Budgets Buckle Under

We’ve been talking a lot recently about the squeeze Massachusetts cities and towns are under because of the rising cost of providing health care to their employees. Today we have more evidence of the problem. In a relatively long and detailed article in the Melrose Free Press, Galen Moore examines the various factors impacting these budgets. He explicitly discusses the rising cost of health care, especially given the constraints of limited property tax increases. Cities and towns are making unbelievable choices, including losing police and teachers because of the health care crisis. The good news is that there are hundreds of thousands of people across the Commonwealth who recognize the crisis, and are moving to fundamentally reform the system. We need reform on many levels, but all the proposals need a solid foundation—the Health Care Amendment.