HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1588        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1074

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act Relative to Establishing the Managed Care Study Commission..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  There is hereby established a special commission, to be referred to as the Managed Care Study Commission, for the purpose of making an investigation and study relative to the adoption of a managed care model by MassHealth.

The Managed Care Study Commission shall consist of thirteen members, two members of the senate to be appointed by the senate president; one member to be appointed by the senate minority leader; two members of the house of representatives to be appointed by the speaker of the house; one member to be appointed by the house minority leader; two persons to be appointed by the governor; two appointed by the director of Medicaid; one appointed by the commissioner of the department of public health who shall be a registered primary care physician; one appointed by the governor who shall be determined to be a qualified expert in the North Carolina ACCESS and North Carolina Community Care program; and one appointed to represent the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

The Commission shall examine the possibility of altering the care of patients in the MassHealth program who have chronic illnesses, by implementing managed care for these patients through primary care physicians and medical homes. The Commission should consider paying physicians on a fee-for-service basis, with an additional payment per member per month for the patients with chronic illnesses. Specifically, the Commission shall look at the Carolina ACCESS and North Carolina’s Community Care programs, in order to determine if these managed care programs may serve as the basis for a Massachusetts managed care program.

The Commission shall submit its report and findings, along with any draft of legislation, to the general court on or before six months after the enactment of this bill.