Miller introduces bill to control care costs

PROVIDENCE – Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston, chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, recently introduced bill 2013-S-540, with the goal to reduce health care costs to improve Rhode Island’s business climate.
The legislation would move to control costs by establishing standards and incentives for transitioning from traditional fee-for-service payments to alternative models, including global payments, cost-sharing, bundled payments and other alternative payments.
It would also develop standards to implement smart tiering plans that offer options for more affordable and personalized health care plans.
In addition, it would establish a pilot program for patient-centered medical homes for high-frequency users insured through the state employee health-insurance plan.
In an effort to increase transparency, the proposed legislation would establish disclosure requirements for hospital pay and compensation, advertising and marketing, as well as monitor health-plan rate compliance with state and federal mental-health parity laws.
The legislation also seeks to address the issue of market price disparities by allowing the R.I. Office of Health Insurance Commissioner to oversee a rate-disclosure process for hospital-provider contracts to ensure that rates are reasonable and justifiable. •