HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 950        FILED ON: 1/15/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1152

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Sean Garballey

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to create a special commission to improve transparency and affordability at the Group Insurance Commission.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

1/15/2019

Timothy R. Whelan

1st Barnstable

1/24/2019

Natalie M. Higgins

4th Worcester

1/25/2019

Tricia Farley-Bouvier

3rd Berkshire

1/25/2019

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Mike Connolly

26th Middlesex

1/29/2019

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

1/30/2019

John C. Velis

4th Hampden

1/31/2019

Carmine Lawrence Gentile

13th Middlesex

1/31/2019

Rady Mom

18th Middlesex

1/31/2019

Christina A. Minicucci

14th Essex

1/31/2019

Daniel R. Cullinane

12th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Marjorie C. Decker

25th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Michael D. Brady

Second Plymouth and Bristol

2/1/2019

Denise C. Garlick

13th Norfolk

2/1/2019

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

2/1/2019

David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf

17th Worcester

2/1/2019

Jack Patrick Lewis

7th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Daniel J. Ryan

2nd Suffolk

2/1/2019

David Allen Robertson

19th Middlesex

2/1/2019

Brian W. Murray

10th Worcester

2/1/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 950        FILED ON: 1/15/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1152

By Mr. Garballey of Arlington, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1152) of Sean Garballey and others for an investigation by a special commission relative to the transparency and affordability of the Group Insurance Commission.  Health Care Financing.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act to create a special commission to improve transparency and affordability at the Group Insurance Commission.

 

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

There shall be a special commission governed by section 2A of chapter 4 of the General Laws to: (i) assess public transparency at the Group Insurance Commission with respect to its procurement and contracting processes; (ii) make recommendations to improve transparency at the Group Insurance Commission including, but not limited to, requiring the public disclosure of its vendor contracts involving health care costs and pharmaceutical pricing; (iii) evaluate the potential use of reference based pricing as a means of making medical costs through the Group Insurance Commission affordable and uniform; (iv) investigate the value and viability of a public option health insurance plan available to public and non-public employees in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The commission shall file its findings and recommendations, together with drafts of legislation necessary to carry those recommendations into effect, with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives, the chairs of the senate and house committees on public service and the chairs of the senate and house committees on health care financing not later than December 1, 2019.

The commission shall consist of 1 member who shall be appointed by the senate president, who shall serve as co-chair; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the senate; 1 member who shall be appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives, who shall serve as co-chair; 1 member who shall be appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives; the secretary of administration and finance or a designee; and 1 member to be appointed by each of the following organizations: the Massachusetts Teachers Association; the American Federation of Teachers, Massachusetts; the Retired State, County and Municipal Employees Association of Massachusetts; the Massachusetts Public Employees Council, #93, AFSCME, Massachusetts State Labor Council, AFL CIO; Massachusetts State Employees Association, NAGE; the Massachusetts Municipal Association; the Massachusetts Chapter of the AFL CIO; and the Massachusetts Organization of State Engineers and Scientists.