Policymakers
Boston Children's Hospital and policymakers: A shared passion
Boston Children’s shares with policymakers a commitment to preserving world-class care for the children of Massachusetts while reducing costs, both now and over the long term.
As the largest pediatric specialty-care provider and only standalone pediatric hospital in the state, Boston Children’s plays an essential role in caring for not only the most critically ill children in Massachusetts, but also the most traditionally underserved:
We treat the sickest 90 percent of children in the Commonwealth.
More than 30 percent of our patients are covered by Medicaid—making us the largest health care provider for Massachusetts’ low-income families.
At the same time, we recognize that climbing health care costs are unsustainable—and we are taking the lead in reining them in:
Over the past three years, Boston Children’s has held our expenses to well below medical inflation, taking approximately $170 million out of the health care system.
We have passed the majority of these savings to insurers, thereby lowering costs for employers and families alike.
And in all of the cost-saving measures we implement, the well-being of children and families remains at the forefront:
Wherever possible, we are transitioning care delivery to lower-cost, more accessible settings in our patients’ communities.
We are improving the integration of care between primary care pediatricians and specialists, resulting in smarter utilization of resources and eliminating duplication of services.
Finally, Boston Children’s is committed to advocating for our most vulnerable patients—many of whom are covered by MassHealth, the insurer of one in every five Massachusetts residents. As policymakers call for the health care market to adopt a more cost-conscious approach, the state must keep this sizeable population firmly in mind.
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