(MA Governor Deval) Patrick wants health cost veto

Boston Globe ^ | February 10, 2010 | Kay Lazar, Michael Levenson, and Robert Weisman

[reaganaut1]

Governor Deval Patrick is seeking sweeping authority to review and reject rates charged by hospitals, physician groups, medical imaging centers, and insurers, in a broad new effort to make health care more affordable, particularly for smaller companies and their workers.

A 40-page bill filed by the governor yesterday proposes to give the insurance commissioner the power to essentially cap health care price increases.

Rates hospitals and other health providers charge insurers would be “presumptively disapproved as excessive’’ if they increased faster than the level of medical inflation, and they could be rejected after a public hearing.

Similarly, for health insurance plans sold to employers with 50 or fewer workers, premium increases that exceed one and a half times the level of medical inflation would be considered excessive and could be turned down.

The legislation would also impose a two-year moratorium on lawmakers’ mandating any new health benefits that must be covered by insurance plans, a practice that employers have said drives up their health insurance premiums. Small businesses have been hit with double-digit rate increases in recent years.

“Eighty-five percent of our economy is in small business, and they are drowning in these premium increases,’’ Patrick said in an interview with the Globe yesterday.

He said his legislative proposals would bring transparency to the current “impenetrable’’ contracting system between insurers and health care providers.

“One of the things those small businesses are saying is they can’t afford . . . new hires because they’re having to make choices on account of escalating premium increases,’’ Patrick said. “We’ve got to get at that.’’

Legislative leaders praised the intent of the governor’s plan but declined to promise a vote of support. Strong opposition is expected from medical provider groups.

[reaganaut1]

When government mandates "universal coverage", price controls (and then unavailability of care) soon follow. Most commenters on the Globe site sound like Freepers. The Globe is a liberal paper -- Patrick may be in trouble. Several commenters note that mandates of what insurance plans must cover have driven up premiums in MA.

[Tarpon]

I am sure this is Constitutional, let’s see, price fixing, yep that’s a government task, I see it right here ... Hey bud, you might need a price fixing State Constitution change.

[CPT Clay]

Soon to be former governor.

[AuH2ORepublican]

I think it's a great idea for lower health-insurance premiums for businesses by capping how much doctors can make. That will allow every other state to attract highly competent doctors fleeing the Bay State as if it were Pompeii. I'm sure MassCare will be hunky-dory when the number of doctors in the state is slashed by 75%, with only mediocre doctors sticking around and no new doctors moving in.

[rhombus]

mandates of what insurance plans must cover have driven up premiums

Rocket science? I think not.

[Boardwalk]

Patrick is a disgrace and an Idiot! I can’t wait to vote him out!

[originalbuckeye]

I have been in Health Care for 35 years. Every Doctor with whom I have spoken over those years has said they would retire rather than be under Government control. SOCIALIZED MEDICINE MUST BE STOPPED. Already many places here in Arizona, where there is an inordinately high percentage of Senior citizens, have stopped taking new Medicare patients. They can't afford the managed price even now. Can you just imagine what the managed reimbursement will be when Zero cuts $500 billion ‘in waste’ from Medicare? I read that Medicare only cost $511 billion in 2009 to cover everyone registered. Zero thinks he can cover all Senior citizens for $11 billion?

[newfreep]

But Myth is so proud of his RomneyCare...

[learner]

Actually, I find this interesting. The president and other democrats have said their plan it much like the Mass. plan. Now you can see what happens when you have a plan like Mass.This should be helpful guidance for the AMA as they may want to reconsider their support for the current health bill(s.)

[DOGEY]

Chavez north

[originalbuckeye]

I suspect the majority of Doctors in the AMA don’t practice anymore and are just tools of the Left.

[milwguy]

I hear the Brits are willing to send us a few of their Paki muslim docs they have been importing due to ‘controlling costs’ Soon we will be importing docs the way we import oil because we will turn it from a profession into something akin to bus driver or garbage collector.

[Carry_Okie]

I read that Medicare only cost $511 billion in 2009 to cover everyone registered. Zero thinks he can cover all Senior citizens for $11 billion?

I believe the '$500 billion cut' was over a five year period.

[xtinct]

fact --> most doctors, nurses, and health care providers in MA voted for Deval Patrick

They're moonbats to the max... and...

their chickens are coming home to roost...

What the heck did they think was going to happen?

[originalbuckeye]

Thanks. I hadn’t heard that qualifier. The article I read just said $500 billion in waste cut from Medicare.

[dennisw]

This guy is a dumbass kook same as 0bama. Both want to be dictators. I wouldn’t trust this guy with jack! Never trust these wannabe dictators because they are all incompetent boobs who crave more power

[TornadoAlley3]

The increased premiums are because of a weak economy and more people dropping their health coverage which leaves fewer people, often with significantly greater medical needs, in the insured pool.

[kabar]

So if you cap the rates hospitals and other health providers charge and mandate coverage and what is in it, who makes up the difference? Are the hospitals and doctors supposed to eat these costs?

[Oldpuppymax]

After all, everybody KNOWS we should be RULED by our “betters!”

[TornadoAlley3]

No, they will offer less quality, pay their staff a lot less, have inferior equipment etc.