Mass. governor aims healthcare bill at mental health parity, lower costs

Governor Charlie Baker of Massachusetts has proposed a systemic health care reform bill designed to target three major areas: prioritizing primary and behavioral health care; managing factors that increase costs for families, including prescription drug pricing; and improving access to high quality care.
While much of the legislation was originally introduced in 2019, passing it was interrupted by the pandemic in March 2020. These past two years have highlighted the need for mental health care and greater access to health care services. This latest legislation will require health care providers and insurers to boost spending on both behavioral and primary care by 30 percent over three years with the caveat to stay within the state’s cost pa...