By Representative Fluker-Reid of Boston, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 577) of Brandy Fluker-Reid and others relative to charter school tuition reimbursement. Education.
Maddy summaryThis bill (HD 1854) requires health insurance plans covering Commonwealth employees, retirees, and private insurance policies in Massachusetts to provide coverage for specific dental and oral care related to head and neck cancer. It mandates coverage for pre-cancer dental care (to prevent infection or decay), dental procedures before cancer treatment (like chemotherapy), and post-cancer care (to address treatment side effects such as tooth loss or infection). The bill also covers dental implants, prostheses, rehabilitation services, and patient education necessary to restore function (eating, speaking, swallowing) and appearance affected by cancer or its treatment. These requirements apply to group insurance plans (Chapter 32A), health insurance (Chapter 118E), private medical insurance (Chapter 175), and hospital service plans (Chapter 176A).
Maddy summaryThis bill requires Massachusetts health insurance plans to cover scalp hair prostheses and facial medical pigmentation (such as artificial eyebrows) for individuals with hair loss due to alopecia areata, alopecia totalis, non-classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency, or injury (excluding natural aging). Insurance must provide this coverage without discrimination, based on a physician's written certification of medical necessity, and at the same level as coverage for hair loss from chemotherapy. The requirement applies to individual/group accident/sickness insurance, hospital service plans, and health maintenance contracts. This ensures people with these specific conditions can access necessary prostheses without facing coverage gaps or additional out-of-pocket costs.
Maddy summaryThis bill (HD 2700) requires most health insurance plans in Massachusetts to cover fertility diagnostic care and fertility treatment for residents diagnosed with infertility, without restrictions based on age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or marital status. It mandates coverage for specific services including at least four oocyte retrievals, unlimited embryo transfers, and unlimited intrauterine insemination cycles. The law prohibits insurers from applying different deductibles, copays, or coverage limits for fertility treatments compared to other medical services and bans exclusions based on third-party services like surrogacy. It directly affects insured residents with infertility diagnoses, state employees (via group insurance), and Medicaid recipients (through expanded coverage in Chapter 118E).
Maddy summaryHD 3095 (Massachusetts) defines infertility and mandates comprehensive health insurance coverage for infertility treatment. The bill requires insurers to cover specific services including up to six oocyte retrievals, unlimited embryo transfers (with single embryo transfer when medically appropriate), artificial insemination, sperm extraction, and third-party reproduction like IVF with donor eggs/sperm or gestational carriers. Insurers cannot impose extra restrictions such as higher deductibles, age limits, limits on treatment attempts, or discrimination based on protected characteristics (e.g., gender identity, sexual orientation). This coverage must align with clinical guidelines from major medical societies and cannot override existing benefits or medical provider judgment. The law directly affects insured individuals seeking infertility treatment in Massachusetts.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a commission on acupuncture and wellness to study how to better integrate acupuncture into Massachusetts healthcare, focusing on pain management, substance abuse treatment, and wellness. It mandates that all health insurance policies, hospital service plans, and health maintenance contracts cover acupuncture for specific conditions including pain management, PTSD, substance abuse, and nausea. The bill also requires insurers to reimburse licensed acupuncturists and medical doctors equally for acupuncture services, prohibiting different payment rates based on provider type. This affects insurers, healthcare providers, and patients seeking acupuncture coverage for these conditions.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires Massachusetts' cannabis commission to create a sustainability working group that will collaborate with industry representatives. The group must develop specific plans for reusing cannabis product packaging, creating standardized waste disposal guidelines, and establishing a program to reuse RFID tracking tags. These measures directly affect cannabis cultivators, wholesalers, and the state commission by mandating new industry-wide sustainability protocols. The bill focuses on concrete operational changes for packaging, waste handling, and tracking systems within the legal cannabis market.
Maddy summaryH 4537, titled "An Act relative to sexual harassment," prohibits professional investors (such as banks, venture capital firms, and financial institutions) from engaging in sexual harassment during business investment transactions in Massachusetts. The law bans making sexual advances or requests for sexual favors as a condition for business deals or creating hostile work environments that interfere with employment. Individuals harmed by such conduct, or businesses that employed them as agents during the incident, may sue for damages including punitive awards, and the Attorney General can enforce the law. Claims must be filed within three years of the last incident. The bill specifically targets harassment tied to investment decisions, not general workplace harassment.
Maddy summaryHD 1791 requires all public schools in the Commonwealth to stop using athletic team names, logos, or mascots that reference, represent, or are associated with Native Americans, including specific tribes or cultural elements. Within three months, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education must create a list of affected schools, which the Commission on Indian Affairs will review and publish. Schools on this list must develop a plan to phase out these mascots within three years through a formal agreement with the Department, consulting with tribal representatives. The bill also prohibits schools from adopting new mascots that reference Native American cultures and denies state education grants to schools that fail to comply.
Maddy summaryThis Massachusetts bill prohibits discrimination against participants in the federal 340B drug discount program. It requires insurers, drug companies, and distributors to provide equal reimbursement and treatment to 340B-covered entities (like safety-net hospitals) and their contract pharmacies, banning lower payments, special restrictions, or interference with patient choices to access 340B drugs. The law explicitly forbids denying 340B drug access, disrupting contracts between pharmacies and 340B entities, or demanding extra data as a condition for supplying 340B drugs. Violations are treated as unfair trade practices under Massachusetts law. The bill directly affects healthcare providers and pharmacies participating in the 340B program within Massachusetts.
