Pennsylvania Lawmakers Have Until June 30 To Reauthorize Health Care Cost Containment Council

Main Category: Public Health
Article Date: 18 Jun 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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The Pennsylvania General Assembly has until June 30 to pass legislation that would reauthorize the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, a state council that analyzes the cost and quality of health care in the state, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Reauthorization of the council, which has an annual budget of $5 million, is supported by business advocates and labor unions, which say its reports help them guide their health plans. Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) and lobbyists for hospitals and physicians also support reauthorization of the council.

"We're concerned about the timetable here and the urgency of getting this done," council spokesperson Joe Martin said. Reauthorization could be delayed if legislators do not agree on details of the legislation, such as how long to extend the council's charter and whether to expand the scope of its data-gathering.

One bill being considered by the state Senate Public Health & Welfare Committee would reauthorize the council through June 30, 2018. State Sen. Edwin Erickson (R), chair of the committee, said he favors a five-year extension because it would allow the Assembly to evaluate the council's structure and activities more often and make appropriate changes. He said, "It gives PHC4 some continuity, but it doesn't lock the Legislature in for some extended period of time." Meanwhile, a version under consideration in the state House calls for extending the council for seven years, changing its name to the Health Care Cost Containment and Comparison Council and requiring that an Internet database be created to allow consumers to compare prices charged by physicians for common treatments.

Physicians and hospitals have said insurers should be required to provide information about payments to providers, noting that the council uses cost statistics derived from hospital charges, which are usually higher than the actual payments doctors receive (Raffaele, AP/Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/14).

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