Most Health Care Bill Conferees Sign Off On Accord
House and Senate negotiators on Monday morning finalized a health care cost containment measure intended to trim more than $160 billion from health care costs over the next 15 years, and improve the quality of care for patients.
The four Democrats negotiating the bill met Monday morning to sign the report, which is still being reviewed by House and Senate counsel and will be filed later in the afternoon on Monday, with the intention of taking it up for a vote Tuesday on the final day of formal session, according to conference committee members.
Sen. Richard Moore said the bill was done as he emerged from the House Members’ Lounge with Rep. Steven Walsh, the lead House conferee, and House Majority Leader Rep. Ronald Mariano.
Walsh, Moore, Mariano and Sen. Anthony Petruccelli all signed the compromise report, though Walsh and Moore declined to immediately discuss the details of the final bill until it was filed and the Republican members of the conference committee – Rep. Jay Barrows and Sen. Bruce Tarr – had a chance to sign the bill.
“We think it’s a great bill that protects patients and does not inhibit hospitals’ ability to continue to provide high quality care,” said Walsh, a Lynn Democrat who co-chairs the Health Care Financing Committee with Moore.
Moore also called it a “great bill,” and said, “We’re certainly very optimistic the plan we put in place will work well.”
Moore said House and Senate leaders will be available to discuss the details of bill this afternoon, though it’s unclear whether there will be a formal press conference.
If approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Deval Patrick, the bill would mark the most significant overhaul of the health care marketplace since former Gov. Mitt Romney signed a law in 2006 requiring most residents to purchase health insurance.
Almost two years in the making, the effort to control cost has been considered the second major phase of health care reform in Massachusetts, where the state has been a national leader on access, but has continued to see premiums rise, putting a burden on consumers and businesses.
The bills that passed both the House and Senate sought to benchmark health care cost growth against that of the overall state economy, and include incentives for providers to adopt alternative care delivery and payments methods to increase access to preventative care, and move away from a fee-for-service system.
Asked if they thought Gov. Patrick would sign the bill as written, Walsh said, “Absolutely.”
“If he’s in favor of cost containment, he’ll probably want sign it even before he sees the copy,” Moore said.
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