Worcester Business Journal

www.wbjournal.com October 26, 2015 • Worcester Business Journal 7 the same parity to disability insurance. Mental health advocates urged the Joint Committee on Financial Services to take action on a bill that would ban insurance companies from limiting the disability benefits for claimants affected by behav- ioral health disorders in ways they do not limit benefits for people who have been physically disabled. Rep. Ruth Balser, a Newton Democrat who sponsored the bill, said that time limits on payouts for mental health disability claims — typi- cally two or three years — amount to a form of discrimination. The Massachusetts unemployment rate dipped one tenth of a percent to 4.6 percent in September, though the state lost more than 7,000 jobs, according to jobs numbers released by the Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The 7,100 jobs lost last month were mostly in the education and health services, trade, construction, transportation, and manu- facturing sectors, the state said, adding that the Bay State has nonetheless added a total of 46,900 jobs this year. Longtime Tufts Health Plan CEO. James Roosevelt plans to step down Jan. 1, and president and chief operating offi- cer Tom Croswell will step into the top spot at the health insurance company. Roosevelt started 16 years ago at Tufts Health Plan as senior vice president and general counsel. He was appointed CEO in 2005, when the plan had about 600,000 members, and helped build membership up to more than one million. Also during his tenure, Tufts acquired Network Health. Pending home sales were up 36 per- cent in the state compared with September 2014, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors (MAR) said, con- tinuing a trend of increases in pending home sales for all but one of the last 31 months. Also, the median price for homes put under agreement were 5 per- cent higher this September than last, MAR said. Its Future Home Sales Indicators Report for the month showed there were 5,736 homes in the state put under agreement in Massachusetts, and the median price was $341,250. Gov. Charlie Baker signed petitions aimed at placing on the 2016 ballot initia- tive petitions that would legalize recre- ational marijuana and add a so-called millionaire's tax to the constitution. The petitions were presented to him by Boston Public Radio co-host Jim Braude during an interview. According to WGBH, Baker signed the petition sup- ported by the group Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. He also signed a petition being pushed by Raise Up Massachusetts that would amend the constitution to allow the state to tax mil- lionaires at a higher rate. The state has received a $600,000 federal grant to enhance training for Alzheimer's disease caregivers, the WORLD CLASS. 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Isn't it me you got more from your banking rela onship? • Maximize Cash Flow • Improve Receivables • Enhance Check Security with Posi ve Pay • Streamline Merchant and Payment Solu ons • Find New Borrowing Solu ons www.fidelitybankonline.com REGIONAL BRIEFS >> Continued from previous page REAL DEALS Real Deals highlights recent commercial property transactions in Central Massachusetts. Commercial real estate firms that want to submit information on transactions can send it to editorial@wbjournal.com, or fax it to 508-755-8860. Source: Worcester Registry of Deeds ADDRESS: 100 and 120 Front St., Worcester AREA: 331,000 sq. ft. SALE PRICE: $32.5 million SELLER: Berkeley Investments BUYER: Franklin Realty Partners — Compiled by Sam Bonacci, Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer Included in this sale are two of Worcester's downtown office towers, as well as a parking garage and ground-floor retail space. The 20-story Telegram & Gazette branded tower at 100 Front St. houses the Worcester offices of EnerNoc, law firm Mirick O'Connell, Reliant Medical Group and the Telegram. The nine-story 120 Front St. tower is branded as the People's United Bank building and includes federal agencies in addition to the bank as tenants. Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) announced. The three-year grant will allow the Massachusetts agency to create what it terms a dementia-capable system of home and community-based services and supports. Such a system is designed to identify individuals with dementia and connect them with optimal services provided by trained staff. The EOEA statement said that the training provided through the grant "will have an impact on quality of life for thousands living with Alzheimer's disease across the com- monwealth." Standing against legislation backed by the business and health insurance com- munity as well as several hospital groups, the Massachusetts Hospital Association argued that state Health Policy Commission reports about the market impacts of proposed mergers should stand on their own. Attorney General Maura Healey and House Majority Leader Ron Mariano argued in favor of giving the reports on the market impacts of proposed mergers greater legal weight at a hearing before the Legislature's Health Care Financing Committee. Backed by the National Federation of Independent Business, Tufts Medical Center, Steward Health Care and others, the two Democrats are pushing for a change to the 2012 law aimed at limiting health care cost growth. n

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