This bill expands the Office of Health Strategy’s (OHS) duties to include, among other things, setting annual health care cost growth benchmarks, health care quality benchmarks, and primary care spending targets. When developing these benchmarks and spending targets, the executive director may hold informational public hearings and consider
certain specified information. The task force must study and make recommendations on instituting a price increase cap tied to the cost growth benchmark for consolidations, setting standards to measure quality due to a consolidation, the attorney general’s authority to stop activities as the result of a CON application or complaint, etc. Under the bill, the executive director must publish annual reports on the total health care expenditures in Connecticut and the health care quality benchmarks, including how payers (e.g., insurers) and provider entities (e.g., physician groups) meet or exceed these metrics.