“In a November 2005 letter to the Legislature, more than 20 state business associations declared support for measures that would deliver healthcare cost controls to the state’s ambitious reform efforts. After lauding measures like investing in electronic health initiatives and creating cost transparency at hospitals, the business leaders wrote, ‘Cost, after all, is the single biggest problem we face today in the delivery of healthcare.’ Unfortunately, that statement remains true today. Despite national attention for the 2006 reform plan, healthcare in Massachusetts has reached a crisis point. More residents now have health coverage, but the crushing costs of the program endanger its long-term viability. This crisis has been brought about by the failure to address costs while focusing almost exclusively on access. For companies that have experienced years of double-digit increases for employee health premiums, the exploding cost of the healthcare law is not surprising.” (03/31/08)