Rep. Susannah Whipps

Senate, October 30, 2023 -- The committee on Health Care Financing, to whom was referred the petitions (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 732) of John J. Cronin for legislation to promote comprehensive transparency in the pharmaceutical industry; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 749) of Cindy F. Friedman, Rebecca L. Rausch, Susannah M. Whipps, Joanne M. Comerford and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to pharmaceutical access, costs and transparency; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 767) of Jason M. Lewis for legislation to define modest meals and refreshments in prescriber education settings; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 778) of Paul W. Mark for legislation to bring down the cost of prescription drugs; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 783) of Mark C. Montigny and Michael J. Barrett for legislation to promote transparency and prevent price gouging of pharmaceutical drug prices; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 784) of Mark C. Montigny for legislation relative to coverage for chronic illness; (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 797) of Jacob R. Oliveira for legislation to bring down the cost of prescription drugs; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 619) of Nicholas A. Boldyga relative to establishing a prescription drug rebate program for seniors; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1176) of Edward F. Coppinger and others relative to promoting comprehensive transparency in the pharmaceutical industry; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1201) of Kate Hogan relative to the pricing of prescription drugs; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1205) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others that the Health Policy Commission and health insurers create listings of certain high cost prescription drugs and that the Attorney General require drug manufacturers to provide information to justify increases in costs; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1206) of Bradley H. Jones, Jr., and others for an investigation by a special commission (including members of the General Court) relative to contracts between the MassHealth program and pharmaceutical benefit managers; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1215) of John J. Lawn, Jr., and others relative to pharmacy benefit managers; (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1246) of William M. Straus relative to drug prices paid by carriers; and (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1247) of Alyson M. Sullivan-Almeida, Michael J. Soter and David F. DeCoste relative to pharmacy benefit managers reimbursements to pharmacies in the Commonwealth, reports the accompanying bill (Senate, No. 2492).

By Representative Soter of Bellingham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2954) of Michael J. Soter and others relative to property taxes for 100% disabled veterans. Revenue.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends Massachusetts law to clarify how assets transferred into special needs trusts by seniors aged 65 or older are treated for Medicaid eligibility purposes. Specifically, it instructs the state to count these transfers as a disposal of resources at fair market value, meaning the value of the assets used to fund the trust will be considered available to the individual. This change directly affects disabled seniors and their families who rely on special needs trusts to maintain eligibility for government health benefits while preserving assets for their care. The provision ensures that the state can accurately assess an individual's financial resources when determining their need for assistance under the program.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new drug access program in Massachusetts to improve coverage for specific high-value medications used to treat chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, and heart disease. It mandates that the state secretary of health and human services identify one generic and one brand-name drug for each of these conditions based on clinical evidence and cost-effectiveness, while explicitly designating insulin as the covered diabetes treatment. The program requires health plans to cover these selected drugs without requiring prior authorization or step therapy, aiming to reduce costs and improve patient adherence. Additionally, the legislation sets up a requirement to evaluate the program's impact on treatment adherence and healthcare costs every two years.

Senate, October 19, 2023 -- The committee on Senate Ways and Means, to whom was referred the Senate Bill enabling pharmacists to prescribe, dispense and administer PrEP (Senate, No. 1353),- reports, recommending that the same ought to pass with an amendment substituting a new draft with the same title (Senate, No. 2480).