What are the healthcare cost concerns in the state, according to the above-mentioned HPC hearing? There’s responsibility to be shared across the system, from consumers who need further education on what is the right place to receive non-urgent and emergency care, to Massachusetts readmission numbers continuing to lag the national rate.
But one item that stood out in the HPC’s meeting last week was the ever-increasing price of insulin. The agency found that for Massachusetts residents with diabetes, annual spending on insulin products increased by 50% from 2013 to 2016. Insulin spending was the largest contributor to their healthcare spending growth, accounting for 27% of total spending in 2016.