By Matt Murphy with help from Keith Regan

Breaking down Question 2

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Good Thursday morning.

If there's a question on the November ballot that will cause voter's to sit up and scratch their head for a minute, it's probably Question 2.

Supporters of the dental insurance initiative say it is intended to wring out wasteful spending from the system by requiring at least 83 cents of every dollar collected in premiums to go toward care, and not administrative costs, taxes or profit. This is also known as a loss-ratio.

But what will it mean for consumers? A new report published this morning by Tufts University's Center for State Policy Analysis concludes that if Question 2 passes, it could cause some smaller insurers to leave the market, leaving consumers with fewer choices.

As for cost, one way insurers could try to come into compliance with the new rules would be to allow dentists to charge more for services. That would cause patients to more quickly hit their annual caps and wind up paying more out of pocket. CSPA Executive Director Evan Horowitz, however, writes in the report that "while it might inspire price increases that trickle down to consumers, the scale of these increases should be limited."

Other mechanisms insurers would have to meet the 83 percent loss-ratio would be to lower consumer premiums, cover more services or streamline their operations.

Horowitz said part of the problem in predicting the scale of the impact to the dental insurance industry is that the question has been "built on relatively thin information. It’s not clear whether dental insurers are currently close to — or far from — the proposed 83 percent requirements." Massachusetts would also be the first state in the country to impose an 83-cent loss-ratio on dental insurers.

Based on available data, CSPA finds that most large insurers probably have loss-ratios close to 80 percent, making compliance a lighter lift.

"Based on the limited information we do have, it seems likely that insurers will be able to meet the new standards with a mix of operational changes that includes somewhat increased prices for dental care," Horowitz concludes.

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9 a.m. | Massachusetts Gaming Commission holds a roundtable in the State House's Gardner Auditorium with companies interested in applying for a mobile-only sports betting license.

9:30 a.m. |  Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito visit the Big E fair in West Springfield during Massachusetts Day. Republican auditor candidate Anthony Amore plans to join them at 10:15 a.m.

11:30 a.m. | Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Polito join Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and other local officials to view the progress of the 31 Elm Street housing development project in Springfield.

1:30 p.m. | Democratic candidate for governor Maura Healey tours Verizon Innovation Center and plans to discuss the state's technology sector, workforce development and competitiveness.

2 p.m. | Gov. Baker and Lt. Gov. Polito join UMass President Marty Meehan and UMass Amherst Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy to celebrate the ceremonial groundbreaking of the new Robert and Donna Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences academic building at UMass Amherst. 

3 p.m. | Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Martin Suuberg joins officials from the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority, the city of Taunton and area legislators to mark Climate Week and promote the transition new all-electric transit buses in the GATRA service area.

5:30 p.m. | Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance hosts its annual program to commemorate victims of homicide, whose names are added to the Garden of Peace each year. Attorney General Maura Healey is among the speakers.

-- Lawyers seeking court order to block DeSantis from more transfers

Lawyers for the migrants flown by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to Martha's Vineyard are seeking an injunction to block DeSantis from transferring migrants to any other locations outside of Florida. The move comes as Lawyers for Civil Rights has sued DeSantis and other Florida officials for allegedly luring the migrants with false promises of jobs and other support. DeSantis has defended his actions, saying the immigrants got on the plane voluntarily, and he has hinted he might be sending another plane soon to President Joe Biden's vacation home in Delaware.

The Boston Globe

More on the Martha's Vineyard story:

• Martha’s Vineyard migrants may remain anonymous during lawsuit, judge rules - MassLive

• Migrants signed a form agreeing to be flown to Mass., DeSantis’s office says. But critics say the document doesn’t stand up legally. - The Boston Globe

• How did an image of a fake Massachusetts flag end up in a brochure for Martha’s Vineyard migrants? - The Boston Globe

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-- Winter electric rate hikes could be "devastating" to consumers

Ouch. National Grid has told the state it aims to raise electric rates by 60 percent this winter to deal with the rising cost of natural gas, potentially crushing consumers at a time when inflation is already squeezing household budgets and the state is urging residents to more convert to electricity to fight climate change. The Globe's Jon Chesto explains what's going on, including the impact Russia's war on Ukraine is having on global fuel markets. Meanwhile, CommonWealth Magazine's Bruce Mohl reports that Attorney General Maura Healey is calling the National Grid rate hike "devastating" as she looks for ways to help consumers reduce their bills.

The Boston Globe | CommonWealth Magazine

-- Healey details approach to housing with new policy plan

Attorney General Maura Healey and Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll - the Democratic ticket for governor and lieutenant governor - released their first joint policy proposal Wednesday, focusing on ways to address a housing crisis that has challenged many administrations before. The Healey-Driscoll plan would focus on expanding rental assistance programs, but would leave zoning changes and ideas like rent control up to municipalities. The duo is also proposing to create a new secretary of housing, breaking it away from the current Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. MassLive's Alison Kuznitz has more details.

MassLive

-- Revisiting the charges against Judge Joseph

With immigration in the news, the Globe's Shelley Murphy revisits the case of the Newton judge who was charged with obstruction of justice for helping an immigrant evade an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent by slipping out the back door of her courtroom. Murphy writes that the federal case against Shelley Joseph has stalled as lawyers look to appeal to the Biden administration to reconsider the charges as it moves away from Trump-era immigration policies.

The Boston Globe

-- Poll finds small businesses still fighting to recover from COVID-19

A new poll from the MassINC Polling Group found that more than half of small businesses in Massachusetts are taking in less revenue than before the pandemic, crystalizing the long-term impact COVID-19 has had on commerce and the economy. WBUR's Yasmin Amer reports that nearly three-quarters of small business owners also cite inflation as their biggest concern. 

WBUR

-- Amore mixing it up in the race for auditor

Republican Anthony Amore, who is running statewide for auditor with the backing of Gov. Charlie Baker, is suggesting that his opponent Sen. Diana DiZoglio is proving that she's not up to the job by the way she's running her campaign, pointing to 34 letters she has received from the Office of Campaign and Political Finance audit office seeking to clear up issues with her finance reports. "This is a big deal because if she can’t be accurate about her own campaign, how can voters expect her to be accurate as State Auditor?" Amore's campaign said, according to the Herald's Matthew Medsger. DiZoglio called the letters routine, and even OCPF says it's fairly common for candidates to receive letters from its auditing department with questions about filings.

Boston Herald

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-- Enough already? Northampton considers capping pot licenses 

With a dozen cannabis dispensaries already operating, the Northampton City Council is in the early stages of considering whether to cap the number of licenses available, Briane Steele of the Daily Hampshire Gazette reports.  The debate comes as many in the community have mobilized to block a proposed shop in the city’s Florence neighborhood.

Daily Hampshire Gazette

-- Berkshire Eagle fights effort to subpoena reporter’s notes

Lawyers for The Berkshire Eagle will appear in court Thursday to ask a judge to block an attempt by the Catholic Diocese of Springfield to subpoena the notes of one its reporters taken while working on a story about clergy sexual abuse. The paper will argue that turning over the notes would break reporter Larry Parnass’ promise of anonymity made to a man who claimed in a 2019 story he had been raped by a former bishop and others in the 1960s.

The Berkshire Eagle

-- Leominster School Committee upset over sex-ed tweet

A member of the Leominster School Committee – first elected amid a backlash to COVID- 19 policies –  wants the board to consider dropping its membership in the Massachusetts Association of School Committees after the group’s social media account retweeted an NPR article that suggests sex education should begin at the kindergarten level. The Telegram’s David Dore reports that if the push by Greg Thomas is successful, Leominster would be the second school district to leave the group after Dighton-Rehoboth.

Telegram & Gazette

-- Holyoke councilor sues to keep seat after child porn arrest 

Holyoke City Councilor Wilmer Puello-Mota has filed suit against the city in a bid to keep his seat after being expelled in the wake of his arrest on child pornography charges, MassLive’s Stephanie Barry reports. Puello-Mota, who spent three months in a Rhode Island jail earlier this year, is arguing that only voters can remove him from the council and is asking a judge to restore him for the remainder of his term.

MassLive

More Headlines

Metro

Boston climate protesters plan more ‘disruption’ as week continues - Boston Herald

Boston explores converting office buildings into housing, but challenges abound - The Boston Globe

Boston's Mayor Wu announces investment in trees for cooling, flood reduction and beauty - WBUR

Massachusetts

'Devil is in the details': Councilors seek plan to combat housing crunch in Worcester - Telegram & Gazette

Greenfield residents tell city council of lost trust in police chief, mayor - MassLive

National

Donald Trump, 3 of his children accused of business fraud by New York AG - The Washington Post

Senate approves first climate treaty in decades - Politico

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