The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services will be holding a special hearing on the Fiscal Year 2012 budget and the Home Care Alliance wants to take the opportunity to offer testimony.
This will NOT be a chance to talk about MassHealth rates, but rather ideas on how home health care can help the state offer services more efficiently. The Alliance would like to set up a panel to present oral testimony so please contact us if you are interested in speaking on subjects like expanding telehealth, or anything else you believe addresses the three key questions in the notice below.
Of course, HCA would welcome the submission of written testimony and are willing to collect and submit materials on behalf of agencies.
Another hearing will be announced shortly for Western Massachusetts. See the notice from EOHHS below.
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS will be conducting a public hearing on the upcoming Fiscal Year 2012 budget. Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, M.D., and the Assistant Secretaries at EOHHS are looking forward to hearing the views of members of the community regarding the agencies under their purview.
Gardner Auditorium, Massachusetts State House
Monday, December 13, 2010
Boston, MA 02133
1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.The hearing will be tentatively divided as follows:
- 1:30 to 2:30 Disabilities & Community Services – MCDHH, MCB, MRC, DDS
- 2:30 to 3:30 Veterans, Elder Affairs, Soldiers’ Homes
- 3:30 to 4:30 Health Services – DMH, DPH, DHCFP, MassHealth
- 4:30 to 5:30 Children, Youth and Families – DCF, DYS, ORI, DTA
Since the start of the budget crisis, the Governor’s Administration has worked with you to solve deficits totaling nearly $13 billion. As FY12 approaches, we are facing the expiration of federal stimulus funds and reduced rainy day funds and even though revenues started to grow in FY11, revenue collections historically lag behind national economic growth and will remain moderate over the next two fiscal years.
To overcome this budget challenge, we will need to work together to reexamine all public services and their delivery and find innovative solutions so that we can continue our mission with minimal disruption. Governor Patrick, Secretary Bigby and all of us at EOHHS are seeking your input to identify potential efficiencies, cost-saving initiatives and partnership opportunities that will preserve core services to the fullest extent possible without additional expenditures.
Due to the number of individuals anticipated to attend, oral testimony will be limited to three minutes. Following are three questions we want you to address in your testimony or as a supplement to your testimony. Please do your best to address each question specifically.
- Are there areas where you believe EOHHS can regionalize, consolidate or streamline services, programs or offices to better serve clients, increase efficiencies and achieve savings?
- Are there areas where you believe EOHHS can use technology to better serve clients, increase efficiencies and achieve savings?
- Are there ways you believe EOHHS can reduce expenditures while maintaining essential and core services?
In the interest of time, representative panels are welcome. If you need accommodations please call 617-573-1600 and let the receptionist know. In addition, written testimony is strongly encouraged and may be mailed to:
Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, EOHHS
One Ashburton Place, Room 1109,
Boston, MA 02108Or emailed to: eohhshearings@massmail.state.ma.us
Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.
Think Home Care Blog 
One thought on “EOHHS to Hold Hearings on FY12 Budget”