An Act to prohibit inappropriate use of the health care cost growth benchmark

This bill amends Massachusetts law to restrict how health insurance companies can negotiate price increases with healthcare providers. Specifically, it prohibits carriers from agreeing to rate hikes that exceed the state's established health care cost growth benchmark. The measure directly affects insurance companies and healthcare providers by setting a legal ceiling on annual rate increases based on a predefined economic metric. By codifying this limit, the legislation aims to prevent negotiated rates from rising faster than the benchmark allows.