Bill > H7819

This bill establishes the Rhode Island Healthcare Authority, an independent body reporting to the governor and the General Assembly, to implement a new model for health insurance and services where all funding, including private insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare, is aggregated through HealthSource RI, Rhode Island's health insurance marketplace. The authority will be led by a health care commissioner appointed by the governor and will include representatives from the legislative branch, consumers, healthcare providers, insurers, labor unions, businesses, and behavioral health providers, along with health policy experts and the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. The authority is tasked with submitting annual reports detailing recommended actions to achieve this consolidated health care system, including exploring state innovation waivers from the federal government, potentially shifting away from employer-based insurance, merging various state health-related agency functions, setting global spending targets, transitioning hospital payments to a global model, establishing standard benefits, and developing a population health improvement plan.