Association Participates
During the third week of November, both the GIC and the BCBS Labor Advisory Committee held meetings. Mass Retirees participated in both meetings and interestingly, but not surprising, both meetings focused on the same general theme of efficient innovative care, cost containment, and affordability.
Blue Cross, whose President and CEO Sarah Iselin testified at the HPC (Health Policy Commission) Cost Trends hearing, which took place in late November, has taken a very proactive stance on addressing cost and affordability. During the BCBS Labor Forum, in addition to focusing on Massachusetts, The Blue’s offered a national perspective.
BCBS National Labor Organization (NLO) Executive Director Merrilee Logue and Elana Margolis, Senior Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs at BCBS of MA, each spoke to the national outlook for healthcare cost containment. The BCBS Association and NLO teams were also featured speakers and participants at the Roundtable Conference in Washington, DC.
At the GIC’s November monthly meeting, Executive Director Matt Veno offered a stark overview of the GIC’s concern over rising costs and affordability. The meeting marked the official public start to the GIC’s plan design and rate setting process for FY26.
For the 3rd consecutive year, HPC Executive Director David Seltz made a detailed presentation to the 17 GIC Commissioners on the HPC’s annual report and outlook. Like Veno and BCBS’s Iselin, Seltz offered not only a direct warning regarding rising costs and the impact on our state, but also offered a call to action for need for the government and stakeholder groups to come together in addressing the growing problem.
“This is a civic problem that is impacting all of us, as it is threatening something that we all care about – that is our healthcare system here in Massachusetts. The path we are on, as I see it, is not sustainable,” said Seltz in answering a direct question from GIC Commissioner Eileen McAnneny on his view on who should take the policy lead in addressing the growing crisis. “When I see statistics that 40% of people are not getting the care they need because of the cost of care, in the highest income state in the country…that is a failure.”
Mass Retirees agrees with Seltz’s view that healthcare costs are a civic problem that must be tackled collectively by a broad coalition of stakeholder groups, as well as government officials. We will continue to not only voice our concerns, but also work toward finding and implementing solutions – solutions that do not simply end with our members being forced to pay more for less.
To that end, our members can expect to see the Association taking a more proactive role in influencing overall healthcare policy. One example is a recent opinion piece submitted to Commonwealth Magazine advocating for a change in federal law to provide for fair and neutral billing practices by medical providers, along with greater transparency. Once the article is published, we will be sure to share it with our members.
While rising costs and the acknowledgment of an affordability crisis is startling news, the important thing is that the reality of the situation has been publicly embraced. We will keep members well informed as to what steps are being discussed to address the problem and what any changes might mean to you.
The next GIC meeting will take place on Thursday, December 19th, at which time preliminary plan costs for FY26 will be discussed. And remember, the decisions and policies implemented by the GIC not only impact State retirees and others enrolled in the GIC plans but can also very quickly become local policy as well.