On December 30th, Conference reports were released on two major pieces of health care legislation, engrossed earlier in the session:
This cover memo summarizes major provisions in both bills as a complement to MTF’s section by section summaries of S.3012 and H.5159.
In May of 2024, Steward Health Care announced that it had filed for bankruptcy protection; beginning a process through which the for-profit health system looked to restructure its debt and sell or close assets, including seven Massachusetts hospitals. The bankruptcy announcement, as well as the potential harm that Steward’s collapse would have on the state’s health care ecosystem, necessitated the development of a process to facilitate ownership transitions for Steward hospitals.
Massachusetts is at a critical crossroads, as growth in the behavioral health workforce and the talent pipeline is not keeping pace with the higher demand for services. Healthcare providers struggle to recruit and retain professionals in high-need settings, such as community-based behavioral health settings, that tend to face high burnout and often pay less than other healthcare settings. The pandemic worsened workforce challenges due to the increasing number of individuals needing behavioral healthcare services.
The prevalence of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression among children has been on the rise for over a decade. At the same time, workforce retention challenges have led to treatment capacity shortages. The onset of the pandemic further exposed and exacerbated these existing problems by disrupting behavioral healthcare delivery.
On July 22nd, House Bill 4891, An Act promoting access and affordability of prescription drugs was released from the House Committee on Ways & Means (HWM). Amendments to the bill were due later on July 22nd with anticipated debate occurring on July 24th.
This bill is the House rewrite of PACT Act legislation engrossed by the Senate (Senate Bill 2520) on November 15th, 2023. The HWM bill includes some of the same provisions S.2520, but differs substantially.
On July 15th, Senate Bill 2871, An Act enhancing the market review process was released from the Senate Committee on Ways and Means (SWM). Amendments to the bill are due by July 16th with anticipated debate occurring on July 18th.
This bill is the SWM rewrite of healthcare legislation engrossed by the House (House Bill 4653) on May 16th. The SWM bill includes many of the same provisions and themes as H.4653 but differs in many notable ways.
On June 6th, the Health Equity Compact held their second annual Health Equity Trends Summit. For the event, MTF worked with Compact staff to create summary fact sheets on notable health equity accomplishments over the last year, both in and out of the public sector at the state government and healthcare sector levels. The fact sheets fit in with the Summit’s themes of showcasing health equity progress made over the past year and discussing opportunities for success in the months to come.
On October 30, 2023, Senate Bill 726, An Act protecting the homes of seniors and disabled people on MassHealth was reported favorably from the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means (SWM), where it remains.
The bill reported from Health Care Financing:
On May 14th, House Bill 4643, An Act enhancing the market review process was polled out of the House Committee on Ways and Means (HWM). Members filed amendments to the bill on Tuesday, and it will be debated before the full House on Thursday, May 16th.
The bill is a redraft of H.4620, which was reported out of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing on May 2nd. The HWM redraft includes many of the same provisions and themes as H.4620, but differs in several notable ways.
MassHealth, the state’s combined Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program [CHIP], provides healthcare coverage to Massachusetts’ highest need residents. MassHealth enrollees have access to doctor and hospital visits, prescription drugs, and other important healthcare services.1 The program also represents the largest category of spending in the state budget, making up 35 percent ($19.8 billion) of total state spending in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024. Prior to the pandemic, an average of 1.76 million individuals were enrolled in the MassHealth program each month.
