Boston Municipal Research Bureau

Boston Municipal Research Bureau The Research Bureau: Dedicated to improving government in the City of Boston since 1932.

The City of Boston spends the majority of its funds on personnel. Learn more about where the money goes and how new con...
08/03/2026

The City of Boston spends the majority of its funds on personnel. Learn more about where the money goes and how new contracts impact the City's budget in our latest report:

https://ow.ly/YQLZ50ZvbKC

The Research Bureau is thrilled to announce the Shattuck Award winners for 2026. Congratulations to all the nominees an...
06/22/2026

The Research Bureau is thrilled to announce the Shattuck Award winners for 2026. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!!! We look forward to honoring you in the Fall. .

Last of 5 Points on City of Boston Health Insurance Costs: Moving the BPS health insurance line item from the school bu...
06/18/2026

Last of 5 Points on City of Boston Health Insurance Costs:

Moving the BPS health insurance line item from the school budget to the City's general budget would change how costs appear on paper but the cost is identical regardless of which budget line it sits under. BPS employees are enrolled in the same plans as all other City employees and the PEC negotiates those plans. It's also unclear whether such a transfer would be legally permissible, given State statutory requirements for the BPS budget.

Thanks for following. Get all 5 points plus more detail here: https://ow.ly/1OWS50ZbYJN

#4 in our series on City of Boston's health insurance costs: The City should negotiate the ability to adjust plan desi...
06/17/2026

#4 in our series on City of Boston's health insurance costs: The City should negotiate the ability to adjust plan design in-step with premium setting & revise how it spends-down surpluses to stabilize premiums. Using the following data will be especially important to contain costs:

-Each plan’s financial performance relative to its enrollment trends

-Different providers’ charges across a standard basket of services

-Options for stop-loss insurance to protect against high-cost claims

Read more here: https://ow.ly/EwME50ZbVlX

Day 3 on City of Boston healthcare costs -- Changing how GLP-1s are covered will fix the problem, right? No. Before the ...
06/17/2026

Day 3 on City of Boston healthcare costs -- Changing how GLP-1s are covered will fix the problem, right?

No. Before the change this year, GLP-1s accounted for roughly 15 cents of every projected dollar of cost growth from FY26. Three structural issues that will continue to drive Boston’s above-average costs are:

-Boston pays more than commercial plans for comparable services;

-Boston does not adjust plans annually alongside premium setting; and,

-Plans do not contain expenses from a small share of high-cost plan members.

Read the full report: https://ow.ly/qSC750ZbaiJ

Day 2 on City of Boston Health Insurance costs -- a $92m increase in spending from FY26 - FY27. As a frame of reference...
06/16/2026

Day 2 on City of Boston Health Insurance costs -- a $92m increase in spending from FY26 - FY27. As a frame of reference, all of the City Council's approved FY27 budget amendments were only $11.2m.

How are decisions regarding healthcare benefits and premiums decided?

The City bears all financial risk for most of its employees’ health plans and absorbs unexpected cost spikes on its own. Boston's healthcare plan design and payment structure splits responsibility in two: the Administration negotiates plan design (copays, networks, deductibles, drug coverage) with the Public Employee Committee (PEC), which represents unions across the City; the Administration sets premiums and pays claims from the health trust fund.

Read the full report:https://www.bmrb.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/SR2601.pdf

Health insurance costs are putting pressure on the City of Boston's budget -- rising $92m in the FY27 budget. Want to k...
06/15/2026

Health insurance costs are putting pressure on the City of Boston's budget -- rising $92m in the FY27 budget. Want to know why? We will be giving 5 answers over the next four days. First one:

For many years, Boston used the health trust fund’s surplus reserve to subsidize premiums, slowing healthcare cost growth within the budget. Despite annual adjustments, actual health plan expenses and revenues deviated from projections. Because plan design is set by a multi-year collective bargaining agreement, the City has little room to cut expenses on a yearly basis. By FY26, Boston had to dip into the health trust fund’s catastrophic reserve to pay out claims. The City faces a double obligation now: pay full costs of healthcare claims and begin restoring the catastrophic reserve. Those two obligations caused the 23.9% record increase.

Read the Research Bureau's full report on City of Boston Health Insurance costs:https://www.bmrb.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/SR2601.pdf

Hot off the presses: Special Report on Boston’s expenditures of federal funds through FY25. Read it here: https://ow.ly/...
06/03/2026

Hot off the presses: Special Report on Boston’s expenditures of federal funds through FY25. Read it here: https://ow.ly/axsq50Z6TnU

Boston’s spending of federal funds dropped by 23.1% in FY25 to $433.2M, driven by a 44.2% decline in COVID-19 grant spending as programs wind down.

The City has started to fund expenses through the general fund to preserve program continuity. But budget constraints and uncertainty at the Federal level may make that challenging to continue.

Thank you to Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden for joining the Research Bureau today. It was a great chance...
05/27/2026

Thank you to Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden for joining the Research Bureau today. It was a great chance to hear from the DA and give members a chance to ask questions. Thank you to Goulston & Storrs for hosting and thanks to all who joined. Kevin Hayden

Only two weeks to go! Get your nominations for worthy City of Boston employees submitted now. Here's the form: https:...
04/29/2026

Only two weeks to go! Get your nominations for worthy City of Boston employees submitted now. Here's the form: https://ow.ly/bIge50YRXVr

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