MassLive: Measles is back. Our laws need to catch up
August 4, 2026 – During a recent emergency department shift, a worried parent stopped one of us with a simple question: “Is there any way my baby can get the measles vaccine early?”. The moment was telling. For the first time in years, measles is urgent
again.
To read the full MassLive article, click here.
Boston Globe: Most medical care shouldn’t require insurance preapproval
January 21, 2026 – In addition to the financial cost, prior authorization may play a role in doctor burnout. A 2023 Massachusetts Medical Society report on physician well-being found 58.2 percent of physicians listed prior authorization as a top workplace
stressor. “It became a game of ‘Mother may I,’” MMS President Dr. Olivia Liao told the editorial board.
To read the full Boston Globe article, click here.
Boston Globe: Blue Cross plans to target doctors for overcharging. Physicians are furious.
October 24, 2025 – The MMS, which represents 24,000 doctors and medical students in the state, has expressed concern about the Blue Cross program and met twice with the insurer in recent weeks. The group is planning to hold a third meeting with Blue Cross
in January, about two months after the program starts.
To read the full Boston Globe article, click here.
Boston Globe: Mifepristone: vital, worthy of protection, threatened
October 12, 2025 – Massachusetts has set a national example by enabling pharmacy dispensing, supporting provider training, and maintaining a stockpile of mifepristone. Continued evidence-based care must remain a priority. Massachusetts patients deserve
the assurance that their care is rooted in science, accessibility, and compassion.
To read the full Boston Globe article, click here.
NBC 10 Providence: Massachusetts lawmakers propose pilot for overdose prevention sites amid mixed reactions
October 3, 2025 - This is a way to meet the patients where they are, said MMS President Dr. Olivia Liao, "We still have 2,000 deaths per year despite all we've tried to do, so these facilities have been proven in New York, Rhode Island and internationally
to save lives and reduce infections disease."
To read the full NBC story, click here.
Boston Globe: Markey demands RFK Jr.'s resignation following combative senate testimony
September 8, 2025 – Dr. Eli Freiman, a pediatric emergency physician at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and an officer of the Massachusetts Medical Society, worried about long forgotten illnesses coming back.
To read the full Boston Globe article, click here.
WGBH: Healey signs bill expanding reproductive, transgender care protections
August 7, 2025 – The law provides critical protections for patients seeking and physicians delivering reproductive and gender-affirming care, responding to growing threats that seek to interfere with decisions that belong to patients and their doctors,
said MMS President Dr. Olivia Liao.
To read the full WGBH story, click here.
Worcester Business Journal: Dr. Michael Collins is leaving an historic legacy at UMass Chan. His successor will face a new world of challenges.
July 28, 2025 – UMass Chan has been a leader in Central Massachusetts when it comes to training the next generation of primary care providers, an especially important focus now since Massachusetts is facing a primary care shortage, said MMS President
Dr. Olivia Liao.
To read the full Worcester Business Journal article, click here.
Boston Globe: Latest move against mRNA research is worrying
June 9, 2025 – As a physician and president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, I read with deep concern the article, “mRNA, once lauded, now a target of GOP lawmakers". The piece underscores a troubling shift.
To read the full Boston Globe article, click here.
MassLive: Medicaid cuts will ‘wreak havoc’ on state’s health care system (Viewpoint)
June 3, 2025 – This legislation will harm our patients and wreak significant havoc on our health care system, causing financial destruction it cannot absorb in order to continue effectively serving the health care needs of MassHealth patients in Massachusetts.
To read the full MassLive article, click here.
Could This High School Football Tragedy Have Been Prevented?
May 1, 2025 – Mary Beth Miotto, cochair of the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Committee on Student Health and Sports Medicine, believes football-related concussions in youth and young adults are a “public health problem,” and yet “we’re not looking at
it in a very systematic way in terms of outcomes and interventions,” she says.
To read the full Boston Magazine article, click here.
Feds’ Blind Eye Would Give Safe Inject Sites a Try
April 7, 2025 – “Activists have long advocated for lawmakers to pass a bill authorizing overdose prevention centers, sometimes referred to as supervised consumption sites. Gaeta said the Mass. Medical Society first voted in 2017 to back the approach as
a “legitimate medical intervention.” The Healey administration announced its support for the idea in 2023.
To read the full Lowell Sun article, click here.
Boston Globe: Physician Assistants Rally For Bill To Help Them Ease Primary Care Crunch
April 2, 2025 – “While physician assistants play a critical role in the health care system, physician-led, team-based care — including physician assistants — is the optimal model for achieving the best patient outcomes," MMS President Dr. Hugh Taylor
said.
To read the full Boston Globe article, click here.
WWLP: New Fed Prosecutor May be Obstacle for Supervised Drug Use Sites
April 2, 2025 – Doctors affiliated with the MMS detailed the group’s legislative priorities Wednesday, including action to create a legal framework for the launch of overdose prevention centers — an idea the Bay State’s new federal prosecutor has vowed
to oppose.
To read the full WWLP article, click here.
State House News Service: State Medical Societies United Against Medicaid Cuts
April 2, 2025 – The head of the MMS warned Wednesday there's "no way" for a congressional committee to achieve its assignment of spending cuts without "dramatically cutting" Medicaid, and said his counterparts across the country are worried about the
impact on patients.
To read the full article, click here.
Boston 25 News: Physician assistants pushing to expand roles to alleviate primary care backlog in Massachusetts
March 3, 2025 – MMS President Dr. Hugh Taylor wrote: Extensive education and training equip physicians with the expertise to supervise health care teams delivering care to a patient population that is increasingly sicker and more medically complex.
To read the full Boston 25 News story, click here.
State House News Service: Regulators Examine Health Care Administrative Costs
January 9, 2025 – MMS Past President Dr. Barbara Spivak, an internist associated with Beth Israel Lahey Health, said hospitals can get backed up due to administrative issues with health plans. Spivak said she recently had a patient who took three weeks
to get prior authorization on a drug that she recommended, because it was denied the first time and her patient had to file an appeal.
To read the full article, click here.
Boston Globe: Massachusetts ballot questions 2024: Question 4 on the legalization of psychedelics
October 18, 2024 – The MMS has not taken a position on the ballot question, but said in March testimony that it opposes creating a system that “characterizes psychedelic therapy as evidence-based when the safety and efficacy of these agents have not been
fully” approved by the FDA.
To read the full Boston Globe article, click here.
Boston Globe: New weight loss drugs raise questions of access, costs
October 18, 2024 – MMS President Dr. Hugh Taylor said for many people, preventative measures like diet and exercise are insufficient. “GLP drugs are remarkably effective, in many cases as effective as surgery,” Taylor said. The MMS — and the national
American Medical Association — have urged greater insurance coverage for weight loss treatments, including GLP-1 medications.
To read the full Boston Globe article, click here.
WWLP: DPH memo assures providers on harm reduction aid
October 1, 2024 – The Massachusetts Medical Society praised DPH’s “timely” guidance and pressed the Legislature to pass the stalled opioid bill.
To read the full WWLP article, click here.
MassLive: Private equity repeat: Mass. pols raise concerns about sale of Steward’s doctor network
September 30, 2024 – MMS President Dr. Hugh Taylor called on Steward and Rural Healthcare Group to promote “equitable, affordable and timely access to care for our patients.”
To read the full MassLive article, click here.
