In order for state policymakers to consider policy interventions aimed at reducing escalating health insurance premiums, they must understand their own health care provider market. A recent webinar hosted by AcademyHealth- “Costs, Quality, and Provider Integration in the Local Health Care Marketplace: What Can Research and Recent Experience Tell State Policymakers?”- addressed this important issue.
The webinar outlines the market dynamics that can lead to high prices for providers with significant market power. Researchers Martin Gaynor and Lawton Burns describe the current market dynamics that have led to increased consolidation in the provider market and the impact of those changes. Glen Shor, the executive director of the Massachusetts Health Insurance Connector Authority, and Chris Koller, Rhode Island’s Health Insurance Commissioner, describe the policy responses being tried in their respective states. The webinar is available for viewing here.
