By Chelsea Conaboy, Globe Staff

Lawmakers are expected to vote Tuesday on a 350-page bill that would make Massachusetts the first state to impose limits on how much health care providers can spend on medical costs. Its a complicated, far-reaching bill that depends on the states ability to collect massive amounts of data and to make it usable by regulators and consumers.

Leaders in the House and Senate prepared summaries of key provisions in the bill. Below, see some early reaction from consumer advocates and others.

The bill comes after more than a year and a half of negotiations on Beacon Hill. But the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, which has served as a consumer advocate on health costs, urged people not to see the bills expected passage as an end to the debate.

We invite all stakeholders to meet with us publicly at a gathering of GBIO leaders on Tuesday September 17th, 2013 -- one year from now -- to evaluate the progress in controlling costs and assess the effectiveness of this legislation, President Rev. Burns Stanfield said in a press release.

The group lauded the bills allocation of $60 million for public health programs and its setting of a spending target:

Specifically, per person health care spending is targeted to grow no more than the Gross State Product during the years of 2013-2017. Then a more aggressive target of GSP minus .5% is established for the years 2018-2022.

These targets have the potential to establish a clear incentive to make real changes that will reduce costs; eliminate waste; and improve patient care. However, to accomplish these aims an enhanced enforcement mechanism will likely be necessary.

Eric Schultz, chief executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, congratulated lawmakers on the bill, in an e-mailed statement:

While we continue to review its many complex elements, it is clearly a meaningful step forward in the effort to control health care spending. We look forward to working with our partners in state government and other key stakeholders to fully implement the law so that we, as a Commonwealth, are able to fully realize its potential to improve care and control the rate of increase in health care costs for Massachusetts consumers and businesses.

Originally posted here:

Digesting the health care compromise bill