Spotlight on State
Spotlight on State: Connecticut
Mallory Warner, Health Policy Research Fellow and Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor May 15, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Connecticut page. Connecticut is a state to watch on healthcare cost, transparency, and competition. Connecticut’s legislature passed a statute in 2012 establishing an All-Payer Claims Database Program in the state. Connecticut’s APCD, Healthscore CT, contains information about the quality, price and cost of health services in the state to allow healthcare consumers to …
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Spotlight on State: Virginia
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor May 4, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Virginia page. Virginia is an active state in promoting price transparency in health care. Virginia operates an All-Payer Claims Database and provides other datasets online relating to cost and quality, including the average charge data for 25 of the most frequently reported health care services. All medical facilities and health maintenance organizations are required to …
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Spotlight on State: West Virginia
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor April 29, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See West Virginia page. West Virginia has made progress in healthcare price transparency on several fronts, including implementing an all-payer claims database, passing legislation easing access to medical records, and creating annual financial disclosure requirements for facilities in order to determine the reasonableness of healthcare costs among providers. The state earns a high grade …
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Spotlight on State: New Hampshire
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor April 12, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See New Hampshire page. The state of New Hampshire is a trailblazer that is highly active in considering innovative cost containment solutions and expanding price transparency initiatives. New Hampshire created one of the nation’s first all-payer claims databases (“APCD”) in 2003 to collect and disseminate healthcare price information, leading the way for many other …
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Spotlight on State: North Dakota
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor April 8, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See North Dakota page. North Dakota is one of the few states that bans most-favored nation clauses in provider contracts. It is also one of the even fewer states that prohibits most noncompete agreements, by making them generally unenforceable. Specifically, state law provides that a contract by which anyone is restrained from exercising a …
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Spotlight on State: South Dakota
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor March 25, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See South Dakota page. South Dakota has been active in regulating prescription drug pricing and transparency. The state enacted a law to prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from prohibiting or penalizing a pharmacist for providing cost-sharing information on the amount a covered individual may pay for a particular prescription drug. The legislature also passed legislation …
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Spotlight on State: Washington
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor March 10, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Washington page. Washington is a leader in state initiatives for healthcare price and competition and enacted several market reform initiatives in recent sessions. In 2019, it became the first state to enact legislation to implement a public option health insurance plan to bring its residents a step closer to universal health care. Washington …
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Spotlight on State: Georgia
Alex Montague, Health Policy Researcher March 8, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Georgia page. Georgia has made significant strides in legislative efforts to promote healthcare price transparency in recent sessions. The state enacted legislation in 2020 that lays the groundwork for an all-payer claims database (APCD). The law establishes an APCD advisory committee, funding for the APCD, design criteria, operation, and noncompliance penalties. The legislature …
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Spotlight on State: South Carolina
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor February 12, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See South Carolina page. While South Carolina law does not mandate an all-payer claims database (APCD), the Division of Medicaid Policy Research at the University of South Carolina Institute for Families in Society maintains a private database of voluntary claims submissions. The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS), which operates the …
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Spotlight on State: Maine
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor February 4, 2021
This is part of a series of summaries that highlight notable legislation and initiatives in health policy and reform of all 50 states. Check back on The Source as we roll out additional states each week. See Maine page. Maine is a state that actively promotes healthcare price transparency. The Maine Health Data Organization (MHDO), an independent executive agency that the legislature established in 1996, operates the state’s all-payer claims database (APCD). The MHDO has collected health insurance claims information since 2003 and currently shares claims from commercial insurance carriers, …
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