I led efforts to increase primary care spending in Rhode Island. Here are the things Massachusetts must get right.
ADVERTISEMENT Sponsored by The Boston Foundation The Best of CommonWealth Beacon OPINION ( Hush Naidoo Jade Photography on Unsplash I led efforts to increase primary care spending in Rhode Island. Here are the things Massachusetts must get right. July 26, 2026 By Christopher Koller The passage by the Massachusetts Senate of S-3116 at the end of June marks a milestone in efforts to strengthen Massachusetts’s vital but fragile primary care sector. The bill’s detractors are now furrowing their brows and defending the status quo. Their arguments should not carry the day. I know because I confronted and refuted those same arguments 15 years ago as Rhode Island’s health insurance commissioner when we started down the same path. ADVERTISEMENT Primary care is essential to a high-performing health system. It is the only health care service where an increased supply results in longer lives and more equitable outcomes. Hospitals, specialists, and the pharmaceutical industry c...