WALLINGFORD – The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) released the following statement in response to the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) adopting the 2026-2030 cost growth benchmarks and primary care spending targets proposed last month, including a cost growth benchmark of 2.8% for each of the next five years. The benchmarks and targets were adopted without modification, despite concerns raised during the public comment process.
“Connecticut hospitals and health systems have served as committed partners in advancing the goals of the Healthcare Cost Growth Benchmark Initiative since it launched in 2020 and want it to succeed, which is why we are very alarmed by OHS moving forward with targets that continue to ignore repeated concerns raised by the public.
“We are disappointed that OHS moved forward without responding to — let alone addressing — the concerns raised at the listening session last month, last week’s public hearing, and in formally submitted comments, and we urge OHS to listen to those providing care to Connecticut patients, rather than deferring to the guidance of out-of-state consultants. Hospitals and others who submitted testimony have repeatedly raised concerns about the state’s flawed benchmark methodology, deficiencies in OHS’s data reporting process, and premature implementation of enforcement mechanisms contained in the recommendations for 2026-2030. OHS’s plan does not address how the state’s underpayment in Medicaid makes commercial insurance more expensive, does not accurately reflect the dynamic nature of the healthcare market, and does not take into consideration economic shifts such as tariffs, workforce shortages, or inflation.
“We all want to reduce healthcare cost growth and make care more affordable, but if the goal is to do that without jeopardizing access and quality, it is critical that OHS set targets that realistically reflect the cost for hospitals and other providers to deliver care to patients, address persistent data inconsistencies, and take into consideration the suggestions and views of care providers.”
