Beth Israel backs stronger health market oversight
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Boston-based hospital network and research institution, has backed Attorney General Maura Healey's efforts to strengthen regulation of the health care market.
In a Thursday letter, Beth Israel President and CEO Kevin Tabb wrote to Healey and House Majority Leader Ron Mariano, co-sponsors of legislation strengthening regulation, that he supports the proposal.
Under the bill (H 3678) up for a hearing on Tuesday, reports from the Health Policy Commission (HPC) on proposed health care mergers and acquisitions would be given greater legal weight.
In his letter, Tabb argued that the bill would "help ensure that Massachusetts residents continue to have access to high quality, cost-effective medical care and behavioral health services in their communities."
Partners Healthcare is the largest provider organization in Massachusetts and after taking office Healey helped to scuttle planned Partners acquisitions, following an HPC report that said the deals would increase costs. Partners contends rates paid to it by insurers stem from its reputation for quality rather than market clout.
Last Tuesday, at an annual cost trends hearing before the commission, Tabb suggested Partners should have competition on equal footing.
"It is important to have strong, viable competitors in this market. And unless we are able to have more than one strong, viable competitor, then I think we're ging to be sitting here in 10 years wondering why we haven't made any change," Tabb said.
Beth Israel has more than 1,250 full-time staff "virtually all of whom are faculty" at Harvard Medical School, and the provider group has three hospitals in Milton, Needham and Plymouth along with other medical facilities.
Reps. Paul Donato of Medford and Denise Garlick of Needham and Sen. Mark Montigny of New Bedford are cosponsors of the Mariano-Healey bill. It is one of 30 bills heard by the Health Care Financing Committee yesterday morning at the State House.
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