Signs That Second Stage of Mass. Health Reform Is Shifting Into Second Gear

Whoops. It took my politically attuned WBUR colleague, Ben Swasey, to point out that there's been a heck of a lot of Massachusetts health care news lately, a confluence of mounting political pressure and changes in the industry itself. I'd been too deep in the trees to see the forest. And I'd been so focused on waiting for the Patrick administration's upcoming bill on payment system changes, I'd somehow failed to register that the next stage of Massachusetts health care reform — global payments and cost-cutting — is already upshifting, bill or no bill.

Let's just take a moment to wrap up this month's events so far:

Newly Re-Elected Deval Patrick Says Cutting Health Costs A Priority

Boston Mayor Menino Says Cutting Health Costs A Priority

House Speaker DeLeo Says Cutting Health Costs A Priority

Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Explore Merger

Tufts/Harvard Pilgrim Merger Could Help Control Costs

Blue Cross Blue Shield Reports Promising Results on its Global Payments Plan

Blue Cross Says Providers Must Control Costs, Or Else

And this is a bit further back, but:
Partners Planning Reduction Of Costs

Readers, would you add any? Send them in and I'll add them to the mix. And do you share this sense of acceleration, or am I deluded?