Healthcare

passed · Massachusetts · House Jul 9, 2026

H 1385: An Act expanding the moral obligation bond program to acute care hospitals

By Representative Lawn of Watertown, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1385) of John J. Lawn, Jr., relative to expanding the moral obligation bond program to include acute care hospitals. Health Care Financing.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill expands moral obligation bond program to acute care hospitals under Health Care Financing, providing funding for hospital infrastructure and services.95% confidence

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passed · Massachusetts · House Jul 20, 2026

H 1419: An Act relative to pharmacy deserts

HD 896 requires Massachusetts' Office of Health Resource Planning to assess pharmacy access across the state, specifically identifying "pharmacy deserts" defined as areas with limited access due to geographic distance (e.g., >1 mile in urban areas), excessive travel time (15+ min by car, 30+ min by transit), or transportation barriers. The office must analyze the impact of these deserts on medication access, health outcomes, healthcare costs (including ER visits), and pharmacy closures, while identifying affected neighborhoods and populations. By September 1, 2026, the office must submit a detailed report to state legislative committees and health agencies, including policy recommendations to address existing deserts and prevent new ones. This bill is procedural, focusing on data collection and analysis to inform future policy decisions, not on immediate regulatory changes.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareAssessment of pharmacy distribution aims to improve medication access in underserved areas, addressing healthcare access gaps per bill's focus on pharmacy deserts and health resource planning.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Prescription Drugs

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passed · Massachusetts · House May 22, 2025

H 1355: An Act strengthening oversight of health care facility spending

HD 3147 requires health care entities (like hospitals, health systems, and clinics) to notify the state commission 60 days before making major changes, such as mergers or expansions. The commission must then annually review whether these changes delivered promised benefits like lower costs or better quality, collecting testimony on impacts to prices, quality, and competition. Entities exceeding state cost growth benchmarks must file a performance improvement plan within 45 days, detailing specific strategies to reduce costs and meet statewide averages within 18 months. This bill directly affects larger health care providers and aims to increase transparency and accountability in how they manage spending.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill explicitly strengthens oversight of healthcare facility spending, aligning with support indicators for improved financial management and accountability in healthcare financing.95% confidence

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passed · Massachusetts · Senate Jan 29, 2026

S 897: An Act relative to hospital price transparency

This bill requires hospitals to publicly disclose pricing information. Specifically, hospitals must post machine-readable lists of standard charges for all services on their websites and provide written payment estimates to patients (or their representatives) at least 3 days before scheduled elective procedures, tests, or services. Hospitals must also prominently display information about this service in public areas and on their websites. Violations are treated as unfair business practices under Chapter 93A, allowing the Attorney General to seek penalties or restitution. The bill directly affects all hospitals in Massachusetts and patients scheduling elective medical services.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill mandates hospital price transparency, improving patient access to cost information and aligning with healthcare transparency initiatives to strengthen consumer decision-making.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Hospitals

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passed · Massachusetts · Senate Feb 26, 2026

S 781: An Act to help patients and reduce healthcare costs by ensuring patient adherence to medications

SD 1554 requires health insurance plans in the state to cover partial prescription fills for medication synchronization when a prescriber or pharmacist deems it medically appropriate and the patient agrees. It prohibits insurers from denying coverage or applying pro-rated cost-sharing for such partial supplies, and mandates pharmacies to override system denials for this purpose. The bill also bans insurers from using pro-rated dispensing fees, requiring full payment for each partial fill regardless of patient copay amounts. This directly affects patients needing synchronized medications, pharmacists dispensing partial prescriptions, and health insurers managing coverage policies. The law aims to improve medication adherence and reduce costs by removing insurance barriers to flexible prescription scheduling.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill reduces costs and improves medication adherence via synchronization, directly advancing patient access and cost-effective care as per title/summary.95% confidence

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passed · Massachusetts · Senate Feb 9, 2026

S 693: An Act relative to non-medical switching

By Mr. Crighton, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 693) of Brendan P. Crighton relative to changes to health benefit plans that cause certain covered persons to switch to less costly alternate prescription drugs. Financial Services.

Topics ✗ HealthcareOpposes HealthcareBill enables non-medical switching to cheaper drugs in health plans, potentially limiting patient access to preferred medications without medical justification.85% confidence

Sub-Topics Prescription Drugs

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passed · Massachusetts · Senate Jan 29, 2026

S 694: An Act empowering health care consumers

By Mr. Crighton, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 694) of Brendan P. Crighton, James B. Eldridge and Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to empower health care consumers. Financial Services.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill title 'empowering health care consumers' aligns with protecting patient rights and improving access, key support indicators.90% confidence

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passed · Massachusetts · House Feb 9, 2026

H 1325: An Act to ensure access to generic medication

This bill requires pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) and insurers to maintain transparent "maximum allowable cost" lists for drugs, ensuring these lists only include therapeutically equivalent generic drugs with multiple available sources. It mandates that PBMs update reimbursement rates at least every 3 business days to cover actual pharmacy acquisition costs and provides pharmacies a 7-day appeal process if rates are unfairly low. Pharmacies can contest rates based on market prices or improper listing, with PBMs required to resolve appeals within 7 days and adjust rates for all similar pharmacies if an appeal succeeds. The Insurance Commissioner enforces these rules, including auditing PBMs and protecting confidential compliance data from public disclosure.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareBill explicitly aims to ensure access to generic medications, improving patient affordability and access to essential treatments.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Prescription Drugs

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passed · Massachusetts · Senate Jan 29, 2026

S 908: An Act establishing a healthcare insurance premium payment pool for working families

This bill (SD 164) amends a section of state law to allow multiple entities - such as employers, government programs, and policyholders - to collectively use private vendors for collecting health insurance premiums. It does not create new funding or coverage but requires educating employers and insurers about existing private collection services. The bill directly affects employers, insurers, and government programs that pay for health insurance, not working families as the title suggests. It is a procedural change focused on administrative efficiency, not substantive policy.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareEstablishes premium payment pool to make healthcare insurance affordable for working families, directly expanding coverage access and reducing out-of-pocket costs.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Insurance

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introduced · Massachusetts · House Jun 9, 2025

HD 4804: The annual report of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (under Section 80 of Chapter 118E of the General Laws) certifying and outlining how the health benefit plans under the office of Medicaid, and their contractors, comply with the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act for calendar year 2024

This bill requires Massachusetts' Executive Office of Health and Human Services to submit an annual report certifying how Medicaid health benefit plans and their contractors comply with the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act for 2024. The report must outline specific steps taken to ensure these plans provide equal coverage for mental health and substance use disorder treatment as for physical health conditions. This affects Medicaid health plans and their contractors operating in Massachusetts, ensuring transparency about their adherence to federal parity requirements.

Topics ✓ HealthcareSupports HealthcareRequires certification of Medicaid compliance with federal mental health parity law, ensuring equal coverage for mental health vs physical health services.95% confidence

Sub-Topics Mental Health Substance Abuse

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