Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) said at the Health Policy Commission cost trends hearing last week that the Senate is crafting its own healthcare reform bill this session and that some elements of it – but not all – mirror what Governor Baker proposed in his health bill released October 18.
Like Baker’s legislation, the Senate bill would focus on behavioral health, prescription drug prices, expanding scope of practice for some providers, and “surprise billing,” Spilka said. She also indicated that the Senate may look at provider price variation, which is a topic that Baker skirted in his bill.
Hospitals found much to like in Baker’s proposal, especially its elements that would expand the use of telemedicine and adopt the nurse licensure compact in Massachusetts. While hospitals support an end to surprise billing – that is, removing patients from billing disputes between providers and insurers – hospitals hope the Senate bill adopts the so-called “baseball style” arbitration method that New York state currently uses to resolve the billing disputes. Baker’s bill adopts a more troublesome benchmark rate-setting procedure.