Health Care Cost Trends Preliminary Reports

The report discusses enrollee demographics in the Massachusetts commercial markets, trends in premiums paid by employers and consumers for health insurance, the medical expenses and retention charges included in those premiums, and the impact of premium trends on the health insurance purchasing decisions of employers and individuals

The report examines the prices paid by private health plans for commercially insured members in three service categories: inpatient hospital care, outpatient hospital care, and physician and other professional services. In each category, a sample of high-volume health care services was selected to maximize comparability across providers.

This report documents the major trends in health care spending for care covered by fully insured and self-insured comprehensive private health plans in Massachusetts from 2007 to 2009, as well as trends in Medicare and MassHealth spending from 2007 to 2008.

The Office of the Attorney General (AGO) released this preliminary report based on its ongoing investigation of health care cost trends and cost drivers pursuant to the authority granted to the Attorney General by Section 24 of Chapter 305 of the Acts of 2008, An Act to Promote Cost Containment, Transparency and Efficiency in the Delivery of Quality Health Care.