Massachusetts regulators have slightly increased the surcharge on services received at hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers in the state.
The surcharge, which applies to bills paid on or after Oct. 1, will be 1.87%, up from 1.75%.
The surcharge increase, announced by the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance & Policy, is imposed on third-party claims administrators, health maintenance organizations, preferred provider organizations and self-insured employers that administer their own health care plans.
Massachusetts uses the $160 million in revenue the surcharge is expected to generate to reimburse hospitals for care provided to the uninsured. However, under the state's 2006 health care reform law, a greater portion of the revenue has been has been shifted to subsidizing health insurance premiums of lower-income, uninsured state residents.
BOSTON—The number of uninsured Massachusetts residents assessed penalties for not enrolling in a health care plan—as required under the states landmark health care reform law—continues to drop.