Three days of hearings by the Mass Division of Health Care Finance & Policy (DHCFP) on Health Care Cost Trends in Massachusetts started with a bang as the Attorney General of Massachusetts Martha Coakley released and testified on a report from her office detailing how clout and market share and not quality contribute to wide variation in reimbursement and drive prices up in Massachusetts.
Also being considered and discussed by state officials are data on payment variation submitted by insurers – such as these from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, which also appeared in the Boston Globe.
At stake in the discussions are some very immediate proposals by the Governor to expand the authority of the state’s Division of Insurance to approve or deny health insurance premium increases. Longer term, these hearings are about degree of regulatory oversight of premium and rate setting, urgency and viability of global payments and/or systemic payment reform and ultimately, perhaps, the success or failure of the Massachusetts universal health insurance law.
For those who are interested in what may shape health care reform in Massachusetts for the near future, the event is available through Live Streaming: http://vpc.umb.edu:8080/ramgen/broadcast/live.rm
Or view the powerpoint presentations as they are posted at DHCFP website.
Otherwise stay tuned.
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