BECOMING A MEMBER OF RAM IS ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS YOU CAN MAKE FOR YOUR BUSINESS.
By joining you gain access to exclusive, money saving discounts on services and programs, legislative updates and advocacy as well as valuable educational opportunities. We aim to help you grow and protect your business, promote the retail industry and save your business money. Click here to JOIN NOW!
MAIN STREET MATTERS TOUR
Join RAM as we partner with NFIB, the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and local Chambers of Commerce.
Businesses are the backbone of our economy and your voice matters. The Main Street Matters Tour brings together business leaders from across the region to discuss the real challenges you’re facing, connect with fellow employers, and gain insight into the latest developments on Beacon Hill.
This is your chance to engage in meaningful conversation on the issues impacting your business; hear directly from leading statewide business advocates; and understand how you can influence policy decisions that affect your bottom line
While designed with small businesses in mind, this conversation is critical for employers of all sizes.
Southeastern MA:
May 19th ~ 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Tri-Town Chamber Of Commerce Office
280 School St Ste L100, Mansfield
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North Central MA:
May 20th ~ 8:30 am - 10:00 am
North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce
860 South St., Fitchburg
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South of Worcester:
May 28th ~ 8:30 am - 10:00 am
Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce
670 Linwood Ave Ste 5 Bldg A, Whitinsville
RAM IN THE NEWS:
CommonWealth Beacon
Chapter 58 has made health care unaffordable for families and small businesses
By Jeffrey Gold, MD & Jon Hurst
April 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of the Massachusetts Health Care reform law, Chapter 58, which became the model for the Affordable Care Act. The goal of the law was to expand access to health insurance coverage for all residents, address uncompensated care and build transparency tools to better understand affordability.
While some may want to celebrate Chapter 58, many remain concerned about a health care system that is among the most expensive in the nation. Twenty years of paying for near universal health coverage is taking a toll on taxpayers, businesses and families. To keep reading this blog post, click here.
Testimony of Jon Hurst, President
Before the MA Health Policy Commission &
Jt. Committee on Health Care Financing
2027 Health Care Cost Growth Benchmark
April 1, 2026
Click image above to read blog on healthcare costs.
Swipe Fees Are Hurting Massachusetts Businesses
Lawmakers Are Listening – But They Need to Hear from You
The next public meeting of the Special Legislative Commission to Study the Future of Payments and Sales Transactions by Credit Card and the Impacts for Small Businesses, established by Chapter 238 of the Acts of 2024, will take place in June. But you don’t have to wait until then to tell your legislators about the impacts of swipe fees on your business.Written testimony is encouraged and will continue to be accepted until July 31, 2026. Written testimony may be submitted electronically via e-mail to the following: [email protected]. Please include “Credit Card Commission Testimony” in the subject line of the email, as well as your name, address, phone number, and organization, if any, on the submitted testimony. Click here to access RAM VoterVoice Campaign to send messages to your elected officials and Governor Healey.
Small Businesses are drowning in hidden energy costs
MA Senate Passes New Consumer Taxes on Paper Bags & Paint
The MA Senate last month adopted a $3.6 billion Environmental Bond Bill, S.3064, An Act to build resilience for Massachusetts communities, that unfortunately includes new product bans and consumer taxes. RAM strongly opposed the inclusion of outside policy matters unrelated to the overall focus of the bond bill, to authorize multi-year expenditures for environmental needs and projects.
RAMHIC Offerings for 2026
RAMHIC continues to partner with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts to offer members access to the carrier's entire portfolio of high quality, small group health insurance plans.
All members purchasing their health insurance coverage through the cooperative will also receive an expanded list of ancillary benefits, FREE of charge.
Please see our brochure for more detail on the expanded benefit package. Specific information regarding each benefit may be found below: For more information please visit the RAMHIC page of our website.
Jon Hurst, RAM President & CEO, discussed Healthcare Costs with Sarah Iselin, President & CEO of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts at the RAM Annual Meeting Awards Luncheon.
Call to Action: Sign-on to Oppose Consumer Data Privacy Bills
Proposed Consumer Data Privacy legislation will make it harder and more costly for your small business to reach customers online and conduct market analysis. Join the growing list of Massachusetts employers opposed to this harmful legislation by signing on to our coalition letter.
RAM continues to participate in a collation of business groups opposing the Consumer Data Privacy bills pending before the Massachusetts Legislature. While we support a comprehensive approach to consumer data protection aligned with other states, we remain concerned that H.4746 and S.2516, as currently drafted, could place Massachusetts employers at a competitive disadvantage and lead to unintended consequences for both businesses and consumers.
With the House expected to act in the coming months on an unreleased redraft of H.4746—currently under review by the House Ways and Means Committee—the coalition has prepared and is circulating this opposition sign-on letter for consideration by all employers. RAM respectfully requests that all members review the letter and consider signing-on.
It is critical that lawmakers hear directly from employers in their districts to fully understand the impact of this issue and that there is broad based support for making the necessary revisions to the current proposals. Our goal is to have as many businesses—both large and small—and industries on the letter as we can to demonstrate the depth and scope of our concerns.
After reviewing this letter, members can add their names using this form: Massachusetts Business Leaders Data Privacy Letter Sign-On. Members choosing to sign on are also kindly asked to let me know that they will be doing so.
To learn more about the issue of data privacy and the impacts this legislation will have on retailers large and small, please click here to read a summary of industry concerns.
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