Health Policy Commission

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC), in conjunction with the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, held the Health Care Cost Growth Benchmark Hearing today, an annual hearing to assess performance against last year’s benchmark and consider the target for the next year. The health care cost growth benchmark is the centerpiece of the state’s cost containment efforts, and the hearing is a critical opportunity to evaluate cost trends data from The Center for Health Information and Analysis, discuss affordability impacts, and hear testimony from stakeholders across the health care market. Key Massachusetts health care cost trends and affordability impacts include: ??Massachusetts exceeded the 3.6% benchmark in 2023 with per capita growth in total health care expenditures of 8.6%, $11,153 in average annual health care spending per resident. ??As in prior years, spending growth largely reflected higher prices for care rather than more care received. ??Growth in commercial spending since 2019 has exceeded the rate of growth of inflation, labor costs, and income, and was double the rate of growth of household income for working class households. ??Massachusetts has among the highest costs of living in the U.S., and with the second highest commercial premiums in the country, costs of living exceed income for average families across the state. ??Including out of pocket spending, the average cost of health care for a Massachusetts family exceeded $29,000 in 2023. The HPC Board will vote to set the 2026 benchmark at the board meeting on Thursday, April 17th. ??Read more about the hearing and findings: https://lnkd.in/ea2FnJer ??Watch a recording of the benchmark hearing: https://lnkd.in/e7kEYwZg ??Watch a short explainer video on the benchmark process: https://lnkd.in/d5RPn4Pz #HealthPolicy #HealthCareCosts #HealthEquity

Watch the Cost Growth Benchmark Hearing live now: https://lnkd.in/e7kEYwZg

CHIA’s Annual Report on the Performance of the Massachusetts Health Care System found that total health care expenditures totaled $78.1 billion dollars in 2023, representing 8.6% growth from the prior year -- far surpassing the state’s health care cost growth benchmark of 3.6%, with real ramifications for residents and businesses. HPC Executive Director David Seltz said, “CHIA’s Annual Report on the Performance of the Massachusetts Health Care System?documents that health care cost growth is continuing to grow at an alarming pace. “Health care affordability remains a persistent issue for Massachusetts families, with over 41% of residents reporting affordability issues -- and this burden is greater for Hispanic and black residents.? ? “We look forward to hearing testimony from stakeholders across the marketplace about the drivers and wide-reaching impacts of health care cost growth in Massachusetts during tomorrow’s?Hearing to Determine the 2026 Health Care Cost Growth Benchmark, which the HPC is proud to host in conjunction with the members of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing.” ???View CHIA’s Annual Report: https://lnkd.in/ep2cu7Te ??Read HPC Executive Director David Seltz’s full statement: https://lnkd.in/efQR3kh7 ??Learn more about tomorrow’s Health Care Cost Growth Benchmark hearing: https://lnkd.in/e7kEYwZg #HealthPolicy #HealthCareCosts

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) Health Care Cost Growth Benchmark Hearing is tomorrow! The health care cost growth benchmark is a statewide target for the rate of growth of total health care expenditures, and the HPC’s Board of Commissioners may annually modify the benchmark. At the hearing, the HPC’s Board and members of the state Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing will consider data, information, and testimony regarding the state’s performance against the benchmark, which is currently set at 3.6%. ??: 12 PM ET, Thursday, March 13th ??: Gardner Auditorium, Massachusetts State House, Boston ??Livestream: https://lnkd.in/e7kEYwZg Watch a short video explainer on the benchmark process: https://lnkd.in/d5RPn4Pz

Join the HPC in improving health care affordability, access, and equity in Massachusetts. In implementing the historic health care legislation signed into law by Governor Maura Healey, the HPC is hiring for positions to staff the following new offices and oversights: ??Office of Pharmaceutical Policy and Analysis ??Office of Health Resource Planning ??Expanded Market Oversight Activities ??Primary Care Access, Payment and Delivery Task Force co-chaired with Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services New positions will be posted in the coming weeks, and all open postings can be found on the HPC’s website: https://lnkd.in/ezt6tyPB #Hiring #HealthPolicy #Pharma #HealthEquity #PrimaryCare

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) Health Care Cost Growth Benchmark Hearing is one week away! The health care cost growth benchmark is a statewide target for the rate of growth of total health care expenditures, and the HPC’s Board of Commissioners may annually modify the benchmark. At the hearing, the HPC’s Board and members of the state Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing will consider data, information, and testimony regarding the state’s performance against the benchmark, which is currently set at 3.6%. ??: 12 PM ET, Thursday, March 13th ??: Gardner Auditorium, Massachusetts State House, Boston ??Livestream: https://lnkd.in/d8-b-669 Watch a short video explainer on the benchmark process: https://lnkd.in/d5RPn4Pz

Thank you to David Seltz the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, for presenting at this quarter’s Healthcare Roundtable. Our Roundtable wouldn’t be possible without the support of Blue Cross Blue Shield MA and Saint Vincent Hospital.

The HPC has released a new video highlighting the work of the Moving Massachusetts Upstream (MassUP) Investment Program. This video focuses on HEAL Winchendon - one of the four awardee partnerships granted HPC funds to support health care provider organizations and community organization partners (such as CBOs, municipalities, and schools) working to address the social determinants of health and root causes of health inequities in food security and economic stability. This video features HEAL Winchendon Program Manager, Miranda Jennings, Director of Resource Development, Mary Giannetti, Community Engagement Specialist, Shaina Cunningham, former HEAL Winchendon Resident, Molly Velasco, along with HPC Executive Director David Seltz. Watch the MassUP video to learn how the partnerships have empowered the residents of Winchendon in promoting economic stability, diversifying community leadership, and creating a robust local food system. Learn more about MassUP awardees and their work: https://lnkd.in/dnVmDyH7 View MassUP profiles: https://lnkd.in/dfhRBYWG Read MassUP’s Key Concepts in Practice: https://lnkd.in/dgqMZAJ2

Today, the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) Board of Commissioners voted to issue the preliminary report on the cost and market impact review of a new proposed affiliation between Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI), Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), and Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians (HMFP) at BIDMC. Under the proposed transaction, DFCI would form a new clinical affiliation with BIDMC and HMFP and construct a new DFCI hospital facility including 300 beds adjacent to BIDMC, collaborating to provide adult cancer services. The HPC’s preliminary report concludes that this transaction would constitute a significant change in the delivery of cancer care in Massachusetts. “The HPC’s market oversight authority is essential to assessing considerable changes in the Massachusetts health care system with data and objective rigor,” said?HPC Executive Director David Seltz.?“In this 10th CMIR, we provide analyses that allow other state agencies, industry stakeholders, and the greater public to understand the potential impact that market changes may have on health care costs, quality, and access." "For patients seeking cancer care in Massachusetts, this would be a significant realignment for cancer care among major health care providers. The HPC’s findings in this review highlight the likely impact of the proposal on future health care spending, which, absent further commitments from the parties, may exacerbate ongoing affordability challenges in Massachusetts.” ? View the preliminary report: https://lnkd.in/eguDjT4c Read more: https://lnkd.in/e7T77f_G #HealthPolicy?

Behavioral health (BH) emergency department (ED) boarding, which occurs when patients remain in the ED awaiting further behavioral health treatment, has been a continuing crisis in Massachusetts. #BehavioralHealth ED boarding is one symptom of ongoing capacity challenges and may occur for reasons such as: delayed psychiatric evaluations, no available inpatient beds, and delays in finding appropriate care in the community for patients who do not need an inpatient level of care. The HPC found that: ??By May 2024, nearly half of patients with mental health-related ED visits boarded (defined by the HPC as visits that were greater than or equal to 12 hours in the ED). ??Approximately a third of patients that experience BH ED boarding are discharged directly from the ED and not sent to a higher level of care. ??Among children who were ultimately admitted to a psychiatric bed in an acute care hospital, the proportion of children staying in the ED more than 24 hours has remained high at 47% in 2024. ??Both commercial payers and MassHealth paid more for ED visits that resulted in boarding and were ultimately discharged from the ED compared to patients who were discharged without boarding (22% and 33% more, respectively). Review the HPC’s behavioral health ED research: https://lnkd.in/ec6ST_aq Read more: https://lnkd.in/e9Df4dUz