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Risk Adjustment Program Requiring Large Payments from Massachusetts Insurers

"[T]he state Connector Authority issued notifications to inform 16 companies in the 650,000-person merged market of the new payments and charges under a risk adjustment program mandated under Obamacare. Boston-based Minuteman Health covers 15,000 people in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and is being hit with a charge of $3,064,679. 'It represents about 71 percent of our total premium for 2014,' CEO Tom Policelli [said] ... Connector officials say the program will result in $61 million in transfers among insurers ... [or] about 3 percent of the $1.98 billion in merged market premiums[.]"

Massachusetts May Impose 'Luxury Tax' on the State's Most Pricey Hospitals

"The penalty is not included in the Senate's version of health-care reform, which instead calls for a special commission to determine acceptable and unacceptable factors contributing to price variation. [One state senator] has said the House's fee could 'force those folks that are higher cost to make decisions that aren't well-thought-out.' But [a state representative] said steps must be taken to address the differences in how hospitals are paid."

Compromise May Clear Way for Massachusetts Bill Seeking Paid Sick Days

"Advocates for a bill requiring Bay State businesses to offer paid sick days to their workers hope new compromise legislation exempting the state's smallest companies will break a years-long logjam, but critics of the bill say it will cost nearly 12,000 jobs."

Massachusetts Pension Loophole Continues to Benefit 'Retirees' Who Go Work in Other States

Excerpt: State lawmakers recently passed pension reforms that closed a number of loopholes, including a provision that let retired government workers return to their jobs as 'consultants' with a full salary and pension benefits. But the new reforms don't address the trend of top government workers retiring with pensions and then taking jobs with six-figure, taxpayer-funded salaries in another state.

Don't Look at Life-Cycle Funds As One Size Fits All

Excerpt: Many investors choose life-cycle funds because they're looking for something individually tailored for them. However, these funds are anything but tailored investments. The funds are managed based solely on a person's age and/or number of years until retirement.