Mass. health plan to cut workforce

Tufts Health Plan, Waltham, Mass., said it will cut its workforce by 10% -- or 175 positions -- in an effort to keep its administrative costs in line with competitors’ costs. Of the 175 positions, 75 are currently vacant, a spokeswoman said. The latest cuts follow an earlier round of layoffs last fall when 100 employees lost jobs and 50 unfilled positions were frozen. The 600,000-member, not-for-profit health plan said an 18-month membership turnaround plan initiated when James Roosevelt Jr. took the helm as chief executive officer in June 2005 has been successful. “These changes are to make sure the organization is streamlined and to support our ability to grow,” the spokeswoman said. The plan expects to see growth in 2007 based on early projections, but the goal is to sustain that growth, she said. -- by Cinda Becker