Wasn't a major reason for health care regulation to control health care costs

It doesn't bother me that people want to spend more money on health care (any more than it bothers me that people want to spend more money on computers or cars) if it is their decision and it reflects what they value. Of course, government regulations that do everything from mandate what insurance must cover to regulate insurance rates to what and how doctors must provide service are a big problem with costs. That said, wasn't the goal of increased government control to reduce costs?

Four years after the health reform law passed, Massachusetts boasted record coverage: 98.1 percent among adults and 99.8 percent for children, according to statistics released in December. But less-heartening numbers loom in the background: the state’s health care costs continue to rapidly outpace general economic growth. . . .