MA hospitals mobilize on health cost bill

The Harvard-affiliated  Partners HealthCare System Inc. has led the lobbying charge among hospitals deeply worried that the Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo's expansive 278-page plan to tame healthcare costs and other bills—intended to bring relief to consumers and employers struggling to pay high health insurance premiums—could harm their ability to provide high-quality care and cost jobs. Last year, Massachusetts hospitals and medical organizations spent $9 million on lobbying politicians, more than any other sector, reflecting both the industry’s size and also the high stakes. Nearly $1 million of that total was spent by Partners, the largest provider network in the state with nine hospitals and 6,000 doctors.