Massachusetts Health Policy Commission Adds New Members
Governor Healey Restructures Key Healthcare Cost Oversight Board
Governor Maura Healey has appointed four new members to Massachusetts’ Health Policy Commission (HPC), the state agency tasked with managing healthcare expenditures. Two existing members were also reappointed as part of a significant restructuring of the commission.
New Leadership and Sector Representation
The newly named commissioners include Sandra Cotterell, retired CEO of Codman Square Health Center; Chris Leibman, a senior vice president at Biogen; Umesh Kurpad, former Chief Financial Officer for Point32Health; and Steve Walsh, President of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association.
Walsh‘s appointment fills a newly created position specifically for representation from the hospital sector. Concerns were raised by some critics regarding a potential conflict of interest, given that his association’s hospital members contribute to his compensation. A spokesperson for Governor Healey stated that Walsh has provided an ethics disclosure affirming he will recuse himself from matters before the HPC that involve his hospital association.
Leadership Continuity and Union Voice
Governor Healey also retained Deborah Devaux, a former executive with the Beth Israel Lahey Health system, as the HPC’s chair. Additionally, Jamie Wilmuth, a senior policy analyst representing the healthcare union 1199 SEIU, was reappointed. The state’s Health Secretary, Kiame Mahaniah, and Insurance Commissioner, Michael Caljouw, will also serve as ex-officio members.
Legislative Overhaul and Shifting Representation
The recent restructuring stems from healthcare legislation signed by Governor Healey last year. This new law empowers the governor to appoint the majority of HPC members and expands the data collection and review capabilities of both the HPC and the state’s Center for Health Information and Analysis. The legislation introduced two new seats to represent the biotech and medical device industries, while removing seats previously designated for a primary care physician and an employer representative.
Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, expressed disappointment with the HPC’s revised composition since its proposal last year. He believes the elimination of an employer seat will diminish the ability for small businesses and consumers, who ultimately bear healthcare insurance costs, to have their perspectives heard. The latest appointments, in his view, only intensify these concerns.
“I can’t see any representation for premium payers or taxpayers on that commission,” Hurst said. “Small businesses, large businesses, taxpayers, and consumers, they end up with the bill, the unfair bill.”
The Health Policy Commission had previously postponed a board meeting scheduled for Thursday. A spokesperson indicated that the commission staff would be reviewing its meeting schedule with the newly constituted board.
Attorney General’s Appointments
Separately, Attorney General Andrea Campbell has reappointed Alecia McGregor, a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Martin Cohen, the retired CEO of the MetroWest Health Foundation, to the commission’s board.
In 2023, Massachusetts healthcare costs grew by 6.1%, exceeding the state’s target of 3.3%, highlighting the critical role of the Health Policy Commission in cost containment efforts (Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services 2024).
