Rev. Judy Deutsch, member of the Faith in Action Committee at the Sudbury Church sends us this update of MASSACHUSETTS HEALTH CARE BILLS FILED IN JANUARY 2007 THAT THE MALWV HAS VOTED TO SUPPORT.
"An Act to Establish the Health Care Trust," S. 703
This bill would establish an equitable, quality health care system for every Massachusetts resident one that is affordable for individuals, businesses, municipalities, and the state; one that includes bulk purchasing of pharmaceuticals. It would create a single public entity to replace all the present public and private bureaucracies and would provide quality health care for all Massachusetts residents at a cost that would be less than Massachusetts is currently spending for health care for some. It would create what is known as a single payer system. The implementation of this bill will meet LWV standards of quality health care, affordability, universal coverage, equitable delivery of care, economical delivery of care including reduction of administrative costs, advancement of medical research and technology, reasonable total costs, and financing through general taxation (single payer).
" An Act to Reduce Health Care Costs and Improve Patient Care,"S. 699
This bill would reduce health care costs and improve patient care by establishing a uniform billing and payment system to be used by every health care provider in the Commonwealth. It authorizes and directs the Commissioner of the Division of Healthcare Finance and Policy to convene a special commission for the purpose of developing a system employing loss ratios (the ratio of direct claims incurred to direct premiums earned) in order to minimize the amount spent on administration. The implementation of this bill will meet the LWV position of economical delivery of care including the reduction of administrative costs and it would help meet the LWV positions of quality health care and reasonable total costs. The intent of this bill will be subsumed under the Health Care Trust when that bill is enacted.
(A previous incarnation of this bill has been supported by the MALWV.)
"An Act Establishing the MA Prescription Drug Fair Pricing Program," S.411
This bill would establish a program to reduce the cost to the Commonwealth of providing prescription drugs to its citizens while maintaining a high quality in prescription drug therapies through steps including the following: the creation of a single purchasing unit for the purchase of prescription drugs by the Commonwealth, negotiation with pharmaceutical companies, and the development of educational programs including a counterdetailing program designed to provide information on the therapeutic and cost-effective use of prescription drugs. The implementation of this bill will meet the LWV standards of quality health care and cost control. The intent of this bill will be subsumed under the Health Care Trust when that bill is enacted.
(No previous incarnation of this bill has been considered by the MALWV.)
"A Reasonable Solution to the Nursing Crisis." H. 2059
This bill calls upon the Department of Public Health to set a safe limit on the number of patients a hospital nurse is assigned at one time; bans mandatory overtime, creates programs to increase nursing faculty and nurse-recruitment initiatives, and provides for refresher programs. The implementation of this bill would help meet the LWV standard of quality health care. This bill will be compatible with the Health Care Trust.
(Previous incarnations of this bill have been supported by the MALWV.)
S.593, “An Act Relative to Promoting the Efficient Use of Health Care Revenue
•This bill requires all insurers to devote a high percentage of their total annual Massachusetts- associated revenues to actual health care. This percentage is referred to as care share.
•The care share is: no less than 90% for an insurer with 50,000 or more persons insured for health coverage sold in the Commonwealth which has been doing business in the Commonwealth for more than one year; no less than 85% of Massachusetts associated revenue for an insurer with 25,000 to 49,999 persons insured for health coverage sold in the Commonwealth which has been doing business in the Commonwealth for more than a year.
•This bill is attempting to solve the problem of health insurance companies spending as much as 40% of their health care premiums for administrative expenses (including marketing, advertising and high ceo salaries), compared to Medicare’s 4%.. It is an extremely serious problem because it contributes greatly both to the cost and quality of health care.