Healthcare

Senate, July 31, 2025 -- Text of the Senate Bill to promote student learning and mental health (Senate, No. 2581) (being the text of Senate document numbered 2561, printed as amended)

Text of amendments, recommended by the committee on Ways and Means, to the Senate Bill to promote student learning and mental health (Senate, No. 2581, amended). April 7, 2026.

This bill appropriates $122 million for fiscal year 2025 to support financially struggling hospitals in Massachusetts. It directly affects eligible private acute care hospitals meeting specific criteria, including high public payer mix (63-68%), negative operating margins, and low relative pricing, as defined by the Center for Health Information and Analysis. Funds are distributed through targeted categories: $20 million for hospitals with >68% public payers, $41 million for others meeting slightly lower thresholds, and additional sums for public hospitals and community health centers. Payments cannot replace existing Medicaid or state funding, and hospitals must report how they use the funds. The bill is now law (Chapter 33 of the Acts of 2025).