RI House Hearing Testimonials H 8072

RI House Committee on Health and Human Services - 5/9/24
Rhode Island Healthcare is broken. At the root of the issue for Rhode Islanders is adequate access to primary care and specialty providers. This is due to a culmination of two decades in the making of a growing disparity in the rate of reimbursements from insurance companies compared to Connecticut and Massachusetts, where providers, hospitals, and health systems in Rhode Island according to the independent Rhode Island Foundation study (data attached) that was released on April 1, 2024, receive 17% lower commercial reimbursement for inpatient care and up to 29% lower commercial reimbursement for outpatient care compared to Connecticut and Massachusetts.
South County Health believes the solution is a three-year phased-in approach that ensures private commercial reimbursement is on par with Connecticut and Massachusetts. Rhode Island legislators must begin embracing policy decisions aimed at stabilizing and supporting our State’s hospitals, healthcare providers, and healthcare workers before it is too late. Senator V. Susan Sosnowski's Bill S-2722 along with Representative Teresa A. Tanzi’s Bill H-8072, do just that.
To learn more please visit www.southcountyhealth.org/support.