Mass. House Avoids Major Changes In Cost Containment Bill Update
The Massachusetts House has revised its health care cost containment bill, leaving several provisions intact -- including one directing the industry to cut spending growth in half by 2016.
Boston Globe: House Revises Health Care Bill
Massachusetts House leaders released a revised plan Wednesday to curb health care costs, keeping several key provisions intact, including a requirement that the health care industry cut spending growth in half by 2016. The reworked proposal, which was the focus of intense lobbying by hospitals, businesses, and other groups, also retains a provision that would impose a luxury tax on certain expensive providers and would redistribute the money to struggling hospitals (Kowalczyk, 5/31).
WBUR's CommonHealth blog: Revised House Health Costs Bill Is Out
On Beacon Hill, the House has made few changes to a health care cost control bill despite intense pressure from hospitals and some business leaders. … The House makes one significant revision in the bill. The new entity that would set guidelines and monitor compliance with required changes would be within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. But it would still be independent, as is the Group Insurance Commission (Bebinger, 5/30).
And the Massachusetts legislature's leaders were no-shows at a retirement for a key player in the bill's negotiations --
Boston Globe: House Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Murray Are No Shows At Partners Chief's Retirement Celebration
For a time today, some of the business leaders deeply involved in Beacon Hill's ongoing health care negotiations were expected to be rubbing elbows with the state's two most powerful legislators at a private dinner tonight at one of Boston's swankiest restaurants. House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray were on the guest list to attend a small gathering at L'Espalier in honor of Jack Connors, the retiring chairman of Partners HealthCare, and a major player in the negotiations over the health care cost containment legislation (Phillips, 5/30).
