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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | February 6, 2017 03:19 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Bryan Cutler |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Modernizing Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) |
| In the near future, I will be re-introducing legislation that will modernize the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4). In 1986, PHC4 was created to be an independent state agency which collected data on health care costs in order to stem the rapidly growing cost of health care procedures. This information is provided through PHC4’s website to individual consumers and group purchasers of health service, however, the information is often exceptionally delayed and presented in a format that is not easily usable by the average consumer. My changes will focus on updating the PHC4 board to provide more flexibility to the information and reports that are issued by the Council. Additionally, PHC4’s enacting legislation needs to be updated to reflect the use of teleconferencing technology to achieve meeting quorums without the cost of providing transportation to the members of the board. Finally, the information provided by the health care facilities to PHC4 is based on the billed amount of the services provide and not necessarily based on the amount received by the health care facility for services rendered. This difference in billing rate vs payment rate leaves the consumer with little usable information in order to make a more informed health care decision. PHC4 can be an invaluable tool to help the health care consumer in any health care environment. As the nation pushes to high deductible plans, the Commonwealth can once again be ahead of the curve on health care innovation and an educated health care consumer network with the updates I have suggested. I hope you will join me in sponsoring this legislation. |