Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont submitted a pair of bills to the state's Legislature that aim to reduce the cost of healthcare.
The emphasis of the proposed legislation is on enhancing competition, eliminating unnecessary charges, reducing rising prices and increasing affordability for residents and employers, according to a Feb. 21 news release from the governor's office.
Together, the governor said the proposals would:
- Eliminate hospital facility fees charged at freestanding offices and clinics.
- Implement stronger regulatory enforcement tools at the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy to assure compliance with certificate of need requirements and related conditions of approval.
- Commit Connecticut to joining a multistate bulk purchasing consortium to negotiate prescription drug discounts.
- Require the Office of Health Strategy to annually publish a list of prescription drugs that are experiencing major price spikes.
- Rein in aggressive marketing practices by pharmaceutical representatives.
- Strengthen protections to ensure discounted prescription drugs purchased through the federal 340B program benefit the low-income patients the program was designed to help.
- Limit out-of-network costs for inpatient and outpatient hospital services to 100 percent of the Medicare rate for the same service in the same geographic area.
- Prohibit the use of anti-competitive contracting practices health systems have used to impede competition and increase prices.