Massachusetts healthcare workers are pushing forward a bill that would limit the disparities in the varying amount commercial insurers reimburse different hospitals for the same procedure, according to Masslive.
Here are five points on the bill.
1. State Sen. Ben Downing, D-Pittsfield, S. 574, sponsored the bill.
2. The bill states private insurers could not pay hospitals more than 20 percent above or 10 percent below the average amount paid to comparable hospitals.
3. The bill aims to change the current healthcare system in which larger hospitals with more negotiating power get reimbursed substantially more than smaller, community hospitals.
4. 199SEIU, a healthcare workers union, is running the campaign to get the bill on the November 2016 ballot. The ballot would incite policy makers to act because if they do not pass the bill, voters could opt to pass the law themselves.
5. Proponents of the bill plan to launch the signature gathering process for their ballot question today.
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