Massachusetts Out-of-Network ED Physicians Charge 798% of Medicare Rates

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Massachusetts out-of-network ED physicians charge 798% of Medicare rates

Written by Brooke Murphy | January 12, 2017

Here are six findings on healthcare cost trends in Massachusetts, according to the Health Policy Commission’s 2016 Cost Trends Report.

  1. Out-of-network emergency physicians charged an average of 798 percent of Medicare rates.
  2. Total healthcare expenditure grew 4.1 percent between 2014 and 2015.
  3. Opioid-related emergency department visits increased 87 percent between 2011 and 2015.
  4. A typical family of three with an annual income three times the federal poverty level spent 30 percent of their income on health insurance premiums, deductibles and copayments in 2015.
  5. About 23 percent of behavioral health-related ED visits required a length of stay of more than 12 hours.
  6. Commercial prescription drug spending grew 8.8 percent per capita in 2015