Senate, August 20, 2026 -- The committee on Public Health, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 227) of Ryan C. Fattman and Bruce E. Tarr for legislation to expand options for EMT paramedics; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 253) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation to modernize licensure of dietitians and nutritionists by creating a Dietetics and Nutrition board; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1493) of John J. Cronin for legislation to improve patient outcomes across the continuum; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1524) of James B. Eldridge for legislation relative to the Massachusetts lead law and promoting equal access to lead-free housing; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1527) of Ryan C. Fattman and Bruce E. Tarr for legislation relative to arbovirus in the Commonwealth; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1544) of Cindy F. Friedman for legislation relative to interpreters for non-English speaking patient in health care facilities; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1558) of Edward J. Kennedy and Colleen M. Garry for legislation to ban the selling of a herbal substance that can produce opioid- and stimulant-like effects; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1574) of Paul W. Mark and Michael D. Brady for legislation to preserve access to hospital services; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1600) of Patrick M. O'Connor for legislation relative to the safety of Autistic and Alzheimer's individuals; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1613) of Jacob R. Oliveira for legislation to provide access to health transportation for vulnerable patients; and (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1620) of Michael F. Rush and Rebecca L. Rausch for legislation to protect children from harmful diet pills and muscle-building supplements, report the accompanying Order (Senate, No. 3258).
This bill authorizes the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to use eminent domain to acquire the Norwood hospital property and any adjacent land owned by MPT of Norwood-Steward, LLC. The goal of this acquisition is to ensure public access to healthcare, and the process requires state funding through appropriation. Once the land is taken, control will be transferred to the Department of Public Health, which has the authority to sell or lease the property to a qualified nonprofit hospital operator. The legislation includes an emergency preamble, allowing it to take effect immediately upon enactment.
This bill requires hospitals to offer flu vaccines to all inpatients aged 65 and older before they are discharged. The rule applies annually between October and February, provided the vaccine is available and there are no medical reasons preventing the shot. Hospitals must follow the latest vaccination guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the state public health department. The measure directly impacts hospital discharge procedures and ensures that elderly patients receive immunizations while they are still in the facility.
This document is a formal report submitted by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to state legislative committees detailing the financial status of the MassHealth Delivery System Reform Incentive Program for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025. It provides a breakdown of money spent on various healthcare initiatives, including payments to hospitals, Accountable Care Organizations, and community partners, alongside revenue sources like federal funding and hospital assessments. The report explains that because the program has concluded, the state is recovering any unspent funds from participating organizations to ensure all money was used for its intended purposes.
This bill empowers the Health Policy Commission to investigate whether nonprofit hospitals are setting drug prices that are unreasonable or excessive. Upon receiving a referral, the commission can require hospitals to submit detailed information about their pricing methods, including how they calculate markups and how they treat drugs acquired under the 340B program. While the bill mandates the disclosure of specific pricing data, it includes strong confidentiality protections to prevent hospitals from revealing trade secrets or sensitive financial details. If the commission finds a price is too high, it will issue a public report with findings and recommendations, which may then trigger an independent investigation by the Attorney General. Ultimately, the legislation aims to increase transparency in hospital drug pricing without directly mandating specific price reductions.
This bill serves as a formal communication from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission to the General Court, submitting a report on emergency department boarding in the state. The document analyzes data on patient wait times and outlines existing strategies, such as the Expedited Admissions Task Force and community behavioral health centers, designed to divert patients from overcrowded emergency rooms. It details specific findings regarding how long different age groups wait for care and reviews the effectiveness of current policies aimed at reducing these delays. Ultimately, the bill provides a factual record of the state's efforts to manage emergency boarding without proposing new legislative changes.
This bill authorizes the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to use eminent domain to acquire specific land parcels in Norwood owned by MPT of Norwood-Steward, LLC. The acquired land includes Norwood Hospital and any adjacent properties needed to support the project. After acquisition, the Division will transfer control of the land to the Department of Public Health, which will then assign it to a qualified nonprofit hospital operator. The stated goal is to ensure public access to healthcare, and the bill applies specifically to the town of Norwood and the named property owner.
This bill requires healthcare providers and emergency responders to check for available community-based mental health services before seeking involuntary hospitalization for individuals with mental illness. It defines "community alternatives" to include crisis intervention teams, urgent care services, peer support programs, and other non-hospital settings, requiring that these options be considered first unless they are unavailable or the person refuses them. The law also mandates that hospitalization applications document why community alternatives were inappropriate or declined, and it requires the state department to track hospitalization data by demographics and maintain a public website listing available community services and their capacity.
This bill prevents patients from receiving surprise bills for emergency ambulance services. It requires insurance companies to pay ambulance providers directly for covered emergency transports, rather than billing patients, and sets payment rates based on municipal rates or federal Medicare rates if municipal rates don't exist. Uninsured patients are protected from charges exceeding Medicare's published rates, and ambulance providers cannot use wage garnishments or credit reporting to collect unpaid bills. The law applies to all emergency ambulance services covered under insurance policies, directly affecting patients, ambulance providers, and insurers.
H 5018 requires all health insurance policies in Massachusetts - covering group, individual, and hospital service plans - to reimburse hospital-at-home services equally with in-person care. It applies to any policy providing hospital or surgical coverage (excluding Medicare supplemental plans) and mandates coverage for services from hospitals participating in the federal CMS Acute Hospital Care at Home Program. The law ensures insurers pay for these services at the same rate as traditional hospital visits, without additional patient cost-sharing. This affects all Massachusetts health insurers and their policyholders, including Commonwealth employees covered under group insurance. The bill does not create new services but standardizes existing insurance coverage for this care option.
