Ten years ago, as medical costs soared, Massachusetts passed landmark legislation to tackle the problem.
Leaders of the commission, too, argue they need more authority, such as the ability to impose bigger fines on providers and insurers that exceed spending targets. Since its early days, the Health Policy Commission has used the bully pulpit to raise the alarm about hospital mergers and other trends that threaten to raise costs. After it warned that Mass General Brigham's plan to acquire South Shore Hospital would be expensive for consumers, Attorney General Maura Healey threatened to sue, and Mass General Brigham eventually called off the deal.
Pellegrini said the commission needs more power to tackle high hospital prices and prescription drug prices.“Hospitals and physicians are asking health plans like Blue Cross for really substantial increases in the prices that we pay for their services. And that has me very worried.
“If the cost of every good and service that is provided to you goes up 10%, and you're held to a benchmark of 3.6% [cost increases], it's just a setup for failure,” he said.Gov. Deval Patrick is surrounded by administration officials and lawmakers as he signs the health care cost control bill into law at the State House in August 2012.
Amy Rosenthal, executive director of Health Care for All, said her consumer advocacy group constantly hears from people who can’t afford their medications or doctors' appointments.Health care affordability is one of the things we hear about every single day in every single language in which we serve,” she said.
Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)
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