Press Release
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| September 19, 2012 | Sue Ducat |
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From Health Affairs
For Payment Reform, Lessons from the Massachusetts Experience |
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Bethesda, MD -- As the implementation of the Affordable Care Act continues, the Massachusetts example remains instructive. A new analysis, published today in Health Affairs as a Web First, looks at the health care cost control bill passed by the state legislature at the end of its current session and signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick last month. This is the state’s third law to address health spending since Massachusetts’s health insurance coverage was signed into law in 2006 by then-Gov. Mitt Romney. The authors say that although the 2012 bill lacks mechanisms to enforce new spending goals, they contend that it does create a framework for increased regulation should spending trends fail to moderate.
The authors noted many valuable lessons learned by Massachusetts, which could be applied elsewhere. “[A]fter three consecutive new laws and a strong private-sector response, there is no doubt that Massachusetts has begun to make important and difficult choices,” concluded the authors. “Massachusetts’s continuing experiences with these new policies will provide lessons about what is possible and what is not as the nation takes steps to contain health care costs.” |
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| About Health Affairs | ||
Health Affairs is the leading journal at the intersection of health, health care, and policy. Published by Project HOPE, the peer-reviewed journal appears each month in print, with additional Web First papers published periodically and health policy briefs published twice monthly at www.healthaffairs.org. You can also find the journal on Facebook and Twitter. Read daily perspectives on Health Affairs Blog. Download weekly Narrative Matters podcasts on iTunes.
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