Delegation from Massachusetts Heads to Minnesota to Learn about Cost Containment

In December, 14 members of the Massachusetts Senate headed to Minnesota to learn from state officials there about cost containment. The trip, requested by Massachusetts, was created to help the state investigate new ways to contain health care costs. The Fund, which paid for travel, room, and board, developed an agenda for the two-day meeting including meetings with public officials, researchers, and executives.

Some of the topics on the agenda included learning best practices from Minnesota such as ways to cut back on wasteful spending, reduce hospital readmissions, and use paramedics to improve community care.

“It was a very good beginning to our understanding of how to contain health care costs,” said Harriette Chandler, Massachusetts State Senator and a Reforming States Group Steering Committee member, who was on the trip.  “We’re proud of what we have achieved so far in Massachusetts, but costs keep creeping up. We’re trying to learn better ways to contain costs.”

The trip was covered by The Boston Globe and other Massachusetts’ publications.

The trip is part of the Fund’s Technical Assistance program for states and provides states with an opportunity to learn from one another.  State leaders with an interest in learning from another state can contact Trina Gonzalez at tgonzalez@milbank.org.