Providers and some state leaders have been sounding the alarm for more than a year that the state health care system is in crisis.
Incremental legislative changes, including boosts in Medicaid reimbursement rates for primary care doctors, have so far done little to improve access. Meanwhile, the cost of care continues to skyrocket, with commercial health insurance premiums for 2026 at their highest levels in a decade.
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At PBN’s Fall Health Care Summit on Oct. 30, Martha Wofford, CEO and president of Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, said health care expenses are “an unbelievable burden” on patients, noting, “when it comes to … affordability, we are in crisis.
“We have a crisis on Rhode Islanders’ abilities to afford the premiums that we are putting out in the market,” she said. “And they are driven by these incredibly high health care costs.”
Panelists also discussed a proposed public medical school at the University of Rhode Island. A recent study presented to a legislative commission suggested the economic benefits outweigh the costs of establishing and operating the school, which are estimated to include $175 million in startup costs and $22.5 million annually from the state.
