Gov. Charlie Baker sounded the alarm to business leaders over the soaring cost of the state's Medicaid program — plagued by "double-covered" patients and still hobbling from the disastrous rollout of Obamacare in 2013 — in his first address to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
"It's critical not just for the MassHealth program, but for the rest of Health and Human Services and state government — and local government by the way," Baker said yesterday of reforming Medicaid. "If we don't solve that problem, we're going to create all kinds of issues for ourselves everywhere else in the state budget."
Baker blamed the spike on both the cost to cover patients after the state's Obamacare website failed, and sheer waste, such as some Bay Staters simultaneously enrolled in both MassHealth and private plans.
"Since no one on the MassHealth side has ever asked them if they have other coverage, they continue to be covered on the MassHealth program, so they're double-covered," said Baker. "There are a whole series of issues with this program we're going to have to dig deep into."
He added that the cost of MassHealth is slated to rise 13 percent and it makes up $13.5 billion of the entire $19 billion budget for Health and Human Services. Everything else in the HHS budget is up just 2 percent, he said.
He also vowed to develop regional plans for economic development, to create more transparency around health care costs, and meet with leaders in other New England states to discuss ways to lower energy prices, which he said are higher here than elsewhere because of ineffective infrastructure.
"We'd love your help on energy initiatives," said Baker. "We'd love your help on health care. We'd love your help on education."
Baker hung around long after his speech to meet and greet business leaders.
Asked how he plans to maintain bipartisan harmony with Democratic Speaker of the House Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, Baker said: "You have far more opportunity to be successful in discussing policy and programming with the Legislature if you don't surprise them."
That's a lesson Baker said he learned while working in the Weld and Cellucci administrations.
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