This is very good, and quite unexpected news — yet another item in the Governor’s current winning streak.
A staunchly pro-free enterprise business group yesterday embraced price controls for the state’s health-care industry, saying sykrocketing medical expenses have reached a “crisis point” that’s financially crushing small businesses.
The surprise move by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts went one step further than Gov. Deval Patrick, who recently proposed “soft caps” on insurance-premium rate increases and on medical-provider contracts with insurers.
Richard Lord, AIM’s president, said his group backs temporary caps on specific medical procedures and services, tied to the 2009 median prices for services throughout the state.
As the article says, AIM actually goes further than the Governor’s plan. But that’s great for the Governor, because by doing so, AIM has given substantial cover to legislators who otherwise might be worried that Patrick’s cost control proposal would be perceived (incorrectly) as anti-business. In fact, it is very much pro-business, because these costs are killing small businesses around the state. AIM sensibly recognizes that:
[AIM president Richard] Lord said he’s aware that AIM’s support for heavy government intervention, via price controls, is unusual for a business group.
“We don’t take this lightly,” he said. “But we do feel we’ve reached a crisis point for small businesses.”
Meanwhile, our friends at RMG hilariously claim that Patrick is “lying” about Charlie Baker being MIA on this issue because, well, Baker thinks transparency is a good idea. Look, everyone thinks transparency is a good idea, and in the long run it might help bring down costs as part of a comprehensive cost control strategy. But transparency by itself is not going to do a damn thing for the small businesses who are facing gigantic hikes in their health insurance rates this year. Patrick has a plan to do something about that. AIM — traditionally one of the most free-market, anti-regulatory groups in the state — is pretty much on board with it. Where is Charlie Baker?
His campaign said that Baker was not available to comment.
LOL
and if they don’t comment it might go away. If that’s what they think they are half right, it is a loser, but it’s only going to get worse.
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p>Nice work by Patrick.