BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker’s new health care bill would require providers and insurers to increase primary care and behavioral health spending by 30% over three years, but a Milford legislator worries this will reduce funding for community hospitals such as Milford Regional Medical Center.
State Rep. Brian Murray, D-Milford, said the bill’s required $1.4 billion investment in primary care and behavioral health will mean cuts to other areas because overall funding is not being increased.
Suzanne Curry, behavioral health policy director at Health Care For All, which advocates for affordable care in Massachusetts, said many callers to the organization’s hotline have struggled to find primary care physicians and behavioral health providers. Curry said she hopes the bill’s extra funding will help fill gaps in these areas.
“If they don’t get the care that they need when they need it, folks end up in the emergency department, which is already overflowing with people trying to get treatment and waiting for treatment for days and weeks — and sometimes months,” she said.
To read the full article, click here.