HYANNIS — Gov. Maura Healey announced 12 recommendations from the state Health Care Affordability Working Group to lower health care costs.

She made the announcement at Cape Cod Hospital on Monday. The 30-member group was established in January with the goal of reducing health care costs.  

The recommendations target out-of-network charges, nursing shortages, improving transitions out of hospitals, and investments in primary care. Healey signed an executive order directing MassHealth to increase its investments in primary care, calling it foundational to the health care system in the state. 

“Health care costs are crushing budgets for families, for employers, for state and local budgets,” Healey said at a press conference at the hospital. “We’ve got to take action to lower heath care costs.” 

At a podium flanked by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Cape Cod Healthcare President and CEO Michael Lauf, and some members of the working group, Healey laid out the state’s ambitious plan to lower health care costs. The plan includes establishing standard rates that will kick in and pay providers for any out-of-network services. The plan includes improving transitions out of hospitals by standardizing discharge forms, speeding approvals for admissions to other health care settings, and modernizing health care proxie laws. 

The plan calls for prioritizing investment in primary care with an executive order directing MassHealth to increase primary care spending to 12% of total medical spending by the end of 2028. The plan calls for hiring more nursing faculty to teach and train more nurses. It will mean patients get quicker care and hospitals won’t have to rely on more expensive, temporary staff to do the job, Healey said.

Healey said the group’s other recommendations include lowering prescription drug costs, protecting patients from unnecessary tests and procedures, improving data sharing across the health care system and embracing technologies that make health care more affordable and effective. She said recommendations will be released as they are made. 

“The reality is bringing down health care system costs is hard,” said Undersecretary of Health Amy Rosenthal. “It takes stakeholders with a wide set of vantage points coming together to make shared sacrifices for the greater good.”  

The 30-member working group includes health care and insurance professionals, state officials and legislators, and business and community leaders.  

“We’ve got to take action to lower heath care costs,” Healey said. “The work is hard. My view is let’s get going with a serious working group in Massachusetts. We can’t wait for DC.” 

Denise Coffey writes about real estate, commercial development, the grocery industry, tourism and covers the towns of Eastham and Wellfleet. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com .   

Consider subscribing to the Cape Cod Times: https://subscribe.capecodtimes.com/offers

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: In Hyannis, Healey unveils plan to lower ‘crushing’ health care costs