Insurers face a push for new benefits

Massachusetts legislators have submitted more than 70 bills that would substantially expand the medical services that insurers are required to cover for patients. But the mandates could also raise healthcare costs. Some of the mandates before the state Legislature are hearing aids for children, cleft palate surgeries, and wigs for people who lose their hair during cancer treatments and other illnesses. New mandates could raise the cost of state-subsidized insurance and increase premiums for private employers and their workers, although it's not yet clear by how much.