State Attorney General proposes limited provider market power

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley has drafted a proposal that she hopes could help solve the state's problem of ever-increasing healthcare prices. The proposed legislation, which Coakley's office has quietly shared with industry leaders, would require insurers and providers disclose detailed price information to patients before they undergo a test or treatment, reported The Boston Globe. It also would authorize the state insurance department to limit providers' market power, including their ability to set inflated prices.

"In order to best control costs, we believe it's critical to address the market dysfunction in which costs are driven by the market power of providers, not by quality of care," Brad Puffer, a spokesman for Coakley, told The Globe. "We also must provide more transparent cost information to consumers and ensure a fairer and more competitive marketplace." Article