Legislature earns good mid-term productivity grade

Municipal health insurance: Widmer sees the big change in municipal health insurance as a much more effective and immediate way to achieve cost savings than the pension reform. It also showed that the Democrats who rule Beacon Hill aren't always ruling at organized labor's behest. The new law gives cities and towns plenty of flexibility to scale back generous health plans, without offering any less than what's available to state employees. Widmer says he believes the savings have already exceeded the early estimates of $100 million a year. That's money that can be used to protect the jobs of teachers, police and firefighters.