An Act to prohibit inappropriate use of the health care cost growth benchmark

This bill (SD 78) limits healthcare providers' ability to negotiate rate increases with insurance companies that exceed the state-established health care cost growth benchmark. It directly affects hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers when they seek higher payments from insurance carriers. The key provision adds a new requirement to existing law, prohibiting rate increases above the benchmark defined in Chapter 6D, Section 9 of the General Laws. This creates a concrete cap on negotiated payment increases for healthcare services.