This bill amends Section 9A of Chapter 176O of Massachusetts General Laws to add a new provision that prohibits limitations on a health care provider’s ability to negotiate rate increases with insurance carriers that exceed the health care cost growth benchmark established in Chapter 6D. In plain language, this means that health care providers will now have more flexibility in negotiating their reimbursement rates with insurance companies, even if those proposed rate increases go beyond a previously established state benchmark for healthcare cost growth. The health care cost growth benchmark is a policy tool used by states to monitor and potentially control the annual increase in healthcare spending, and this bill appears to prevent that benchmark from being used as a strict cap that could restrict provider negotiations. By adding this new clause, the bill aims to give healthcare providers more autonomy in setting their rates while still maintaining a framework for monitoring overall healthcare cost increases.