Mass. House Speaker readies proposal to slow health care cost growth to 3.7% annually

The Massachusetts House Speaker believes the state should try to halve the growth of health care costs, but he offered few details on how to do it.

Boston Globe: DeLeo Says House Bill Will Try To Cut Health Cost In Half
Long-awaited state legislation to control health care costs will aim to cut annual increases in half, to about 3.7 percent, House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said Tuesday in a speech to business leaders in which he provided few other details. Currently, the cost of health care in the state is climbing 6.7 percent to 8 percent a year, when taking into account both the prices paid to providers and the amount of care patients use (Kowalczyk, 3/7).

WBUR's CommonHealth blog: Speaker Says State Will Tie Health Cost Increases to Economic Growth Rate 
DeLeo, speaking to members of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, did not say if the goal should be exactly in line with the state's economic growth rate, a little higher or a little lower. The difference could mean billions of dollars, and it's the topic of heated behind-the-scenes debate (Bebinger, 3/6).

The Associated Press/MSNBC: Mass. Speaker Outlines Plan On Health Care Costs
The speaker told the gathering of business leaders the House proposal will make "aggressive" changes to make the state's $70 billion health care industry more transparent and give consumers and businesses more ability to make informed choices (3/6).