Protecting Community Hospitals

Community hospitals not only provide quality, affordable care, they also employ hundreds of workers from in and around the community. That’s why Speaker Mariano has been leading the effort to establish more robust protections for community hospitals. As larger hospital systems expand, they attract more privately insured patients, allowing them to command more leverage during negotiations with insurers. At the same time, vulnerable community hospitals lose these patients, lose leverage, and begin a downward financial spiral. In 2021, the House passed legislation to promote a more balanced health care market by strengthening the regulatory processes for health care expansions. The legislation establishes a more rigorous review process to ensure that when large hospital systems expand, they are not infringing on community hospital markets, and subsequently driving up the cost of healthcare in Massachusetts. In order to guarantee access to affordable treatment for all residents of Massachusetts, community hospitals must be protected. If Massachusetts is serious about controlling health care spending for the protection of our own residents, passing the house bill that protects community hospitals is a no-brainer.