By Mr. Jones of North Reading, petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2119) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others for legislation to establish a commission (including members of the General Court) to study methods of reducing health care administrative costs in the Commonwealth.  Public Health

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PETITION OF:

Bradley H. Jones, Jr.

Mary S. Rogeness

George N. Peterson, Jr.

John A. Lepper

Viriato Manuel deMacedo

Paul K. Frost

Robert S. Hargraves

Elizabeth A. Poirier

Karyn E. Polito

Richard J. Ross

Susan Williams Gifford

Paul J. P. Loscocco

Donald F. Humason, Jr.

Todd M. Smola

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In the Year Two Thousand and Seven.

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An Act relative to establishing a commission to reduce health care administrative costs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there is hereby established a commission to study the equality and efficiency of the present system of administering health care in the commonwealth and study ways to reduce administrative costs associated with administering health care in the commonwealth.  The commission shall consist of the following: two members of the house of representatives, one appointed by the speaker of the house and one appointed by the house minority leader; two members of the senate, one appointed by the senate president and one appointed by the senate minority leader; the secretary of health and human services, or designee; the secretary of elder affairs, or designee; the commissioner of insurance, or designee; three consumers, to be appointed by the governor; a member of the Massachusetts Hospital Association, so-called; a member from the Massachusetts Medical Society, so-called; a member from Health Care For All, so-called; a member from the Home and Health Care Association of Massachusetts, so-called; a member from the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, so-called; a member from Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, so-called; a member from Blue Cross Blue Shield, so-called; a member from Tufts Health Plan, so-called; and, a member from Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, so-called.

The commission shall study the equality and efficiency of the present system of administering health care in the commonwealth.

Said study shall include, but not be limited to:

(i) An analysis of the commonwealth’s total health care administrative costs.

(ii) A determination of the component of administrative costs that appears to be most precisely measured, including a comparison of those costs to the other costs of the health care system.

(iii) An examination of the feasibility of establishing a central point of access for the public health care system and feasibility of utilizing uniform paperwork.

The commission shall submit the results of said study, along with any drafts of recommended legislation and a plan for the implementation of any recommendations to the house and senate committees on ways and means, the clerk of the house, the clerk of the senate, and the joint committee on health care no later than October 31, 2007.