（Boston Orange編譯）麻州政府14日宣佈，將舉辦六場公眾意見徵詢會，以推進降低麻州家庭和小型企業醫療保健開銷的建議。這些線上會議由保險部門（DOI）主辦，旨在收集患者、醫療服務提供者、保險公司、雇主和其他利益相關者的意見，以幫助制定新的州級法規，從而降低成本並穩定保險費。
這些會議是落實州長奚莉（Maura Healey）醫療保健可負擔能力工作小組(Health Care Affordability Working Group)本月所發佈建議的下一步。該工作小組匯集了醫療保健提供者、保險公司、雇主、勞工和消費者權益倡導者，旨在確定使人們更加負擔得起醫療保健的短期和長期方法。
奚莉州長表示，「醫療保健開支過高，給麻州各地的家庭和小企業帶來沉重壓力」 。 “我們成立醫療保健負擔能力工作組，匯集了患者、醫療服務提供者、保險公司和雇主，共同探討降低成本的途徑，現在我們正在推進這些建議的實施」。這些意見徵詢會是落實切實有效的減少負擔措施的重要一步。”
副州長Kim Driscoll說「如果我們想讓醫療保健更經濟實惠，就需要直接聽取那些每天支付帳單、使用醫療系統的人們的意見」 。 “這些會議將幫助我們完善細節，以便推進降低居民和小企業成本的改革。”
保險專員邁克爾·卡爾喬表示，「只有透過集體參與和強有力的夥伴關係，才能建立持續的財政援助」。 “透過讓醫療服務提供者、保險公司、患者和企業參與進來，我們可以為麻州的每一個人打造一個更透明、穩定和負擔得起的醫療保健生態系統。”
聽證會將重點討論州長醫療保健負擔能力工作小組所提出，保險局（DOI）正在推動的兩項建議：
降低網路外醫療費用： 制定新標準以保護病患並降低過高的網路外醫療保健費用。
穩定小型企業和個人市場： 探索加強個人和小團體保險市場並幫助抑制保費。
聆聽會行程安排
麻州保險局將以線上形式舉辦全部六場聽證會。 隨著聽證會日期的接近，政府將提供更多信息，包括每場聽證會的主題和註冊詳情：
• 9月9日星期三 上午11:00
• 10月1日星期四 上午10:00
• 10月5日星期一 上午10:00
• 10月19日星期一 上午10:00
• 11月2日星期一 上午10:00
• 11月5日星期四 上午10:00
奚莉州長已經開始推動醫療保健負擔能力工作小組的其他建議。其中包括指示麻州醫療補助計畫（MassHealth）到2028年時，把療總支出中的初級保健投資比例提高到12%，以及努力降低處方藥價格。
麻州政府鼓勵患者、消費者權益倡導者、醫療保健提供者、保險公司、雇主和其他相關利益相關者參與。查詢更多 資訊和註冊詳情可上網https://www.mass.gov/news/division-of-insurance-listening-sessions-out-of-network-costs-and-stabilizing-insurance-markets-to-drive-down-premium-costs。
Governor Healey Announces Public Listening Sessions to Lower Health Care Costs for Massachusetts Families and Small Businesses
Division of Insurance to host six virtual forums gathering stakeholder input lowering out-of-network costs and making coverage more affordable for individuals and small businesses
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced a series of six public listening sessions as it moves forward with recommendations to lower health care costs for Massachusetts families and small businesses. Hosted by the Division of Insurance (DOI), the virtual sessions will gather input from patients, providers, insurers, employers and other stakeholders to help shape new state regulations aimed at lowering costs and stabilizing insurance premiums.
The sessions are a next step in implementing recommendations released this month by Governor Healey’s Health Care Affordability Working Group, which brought together health care providers, insurers, employers, labor and consumer advocates to identify immediate and long-term ways to make health care more affordable.
“Health care costs are too high, and they’re putting real pressure on families and small businesses across Massachusetts,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We created our Health Care Affordability working group and brought together patients, providers, insurers and employers to identify ways to lower costs, and now we’re moving those recommendations forward. These listening sessions are an important next step in delivering meaningful relief.”
“If we want to make health care more affordable, we need to hear directly from the people who are paying these bills and navigating the system every day,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “These sessions will help us get the details right as we move forward with changes to lower costs for residents and small businesses.”
“Sustained financial relief can only be built through collective engagement and strong partnerships,” said Insurance Commissioner Michael Caljouw. “By bringing providers, insurers, patients, and businesses to the table, we can forge a more transparent, stable, and affordable health care ecosystem for everyone in the Commonwealth.”
The listening sessions will focus on two recommendations from the Governor’s Health Care Affordability Working Group that DOI is moving forward:
Reducing Out-of-Network Costs: Developing new standards to protect patients and reduce excessive out-of-network health care costs.
Stabilizing the Small Business and Individual Markets: Exploring changes to strengthen the individual and small group insurance market and help moderate premiums.
Listening Session Schedule
DOI will hold all six listening sessions virtually. Additional information, including topics and registration details for each session, will be available as the dates approach:
Wednesday, September 9 at 11:00 AM
Thursday, October 1 at 10:00 AM
Monday, October 5 at 10:00 AM
Monday, October 19 at 10:00 AM
Monday, November 2 at 10:00 AM
Thursday, November 5 at 10:00 AM
Governor Healey has already begun moving forward with other recommendations from the Health Care Affordability Working Group. This includes directing MassHealth to increase its investment in primary care to 12 percent of total medical expenditures by 2028, along with efforts to lower prescription drug costs.
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