Healthcare trains its sights on controlling costs

In April 2010, Massachusetts officials caused an uproar in the health insurance community when 86% of rate increase requests for small business plans were flat out rejected. Members of the health insurance industry decried the measures and claimed government officials had overstepped while not addressing the cost of care provided in the commonwealth. Fast forward a year and a half, At a recent Worcester forum that discussed cost control measures, Lora Pellegrini, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans — the statewide organization for the health insurance industry — called on the state to do more to help control health care costs It seemed to be in contrast to how the association reacted after 235 of 275 rate increase requests were denied last year. But that shift is not necessarily a surprise to those in the industry.