Sen. Mike Moore

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new program in Massachusetts to provide comprehensive health coverage for children and young adults under 21 who are residents but currently ineligible for MassHealth solely due to their immigration status. The legislation ensures that these individuals receive the same benefits as other residents of similar age and income levels, regardless of whether federal funding is available to support the program. By adding a new section to the state's health laws, the bill directs the executive office of health and human services to maximize federal contributions while guaranteeing that coverage is not dependent on those funds.

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 initiative to improve wages and career opportunities for staff working in Massachusetts nursing homes. It requires the state's health insurance program, MassHealth, to pay nursing facilities extra money specifically to cover the costs of providing a living wage to direct care workers like nurses and housekeeping staff. The legislation also creates two grant programs to help employees advance their careers: one to train supervisors on leadership skills and another to pay for the education of resident care assistants and certified nursing aides as they work toward becoming licensed practical nurses. To ensure these funds are used correctly, the bill mandates that facilities report how they spend the money and prohibits using it for management or temporary staff.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends state laws to ensure that MassHealth fills a growing percentage of authorized skilled nursing hours for medically fragile children, targeting 75 percent by 2023, 80 percent by 2024, and 85 percent by 2025. It directs the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to increase the budget for these services and allows funds to be used specifically to raise nurse wages. Additionally, the bill requires MassHealth to submit annual reports on how many hours are filled and whether authorization rules have become more restrictive. The legislation also mandates an Office of Medicaid review to analyze wage rates paid by home health agencies and provide recommendations for future reporting standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to lower the maximum rates that temporary nursing agencies can charge skilled nursing facilities for nurse and aide services. To set these new caps, the department must calculate rates based on the average wages of regular facility employees plus payroll taxes, ensuring agency fees do not exceed 150% of those wages. The legislation also requires agencies to report if they are owned by the same people who own the facilities where they place workers, which would ban such agencies from staffing those specific facilities. Additionally, the bill mandates stronger reporting on worker compensation, training, and performance, while requiring the department to consult with senior care and healthcare worker unions before making these changes. The Department of Public Health must finalize and adopt these new regulations within 180 days of the bill passing.

Maddy summaryThis bill aims to improve infection control in Massachusetts nursing facilities by creating a grant program to train Infection Preventionists and adjusting financial incentives for these homes. It directs the Department of Public Health to use federal funds to support specialized training for staff responsible for preventing disease spread. Additionally, the legislation requires the state to pay nursing homes for hiring full-time Infection Preventionists and provides daily supplemental payments for each isolation or quarantine room a facility sets up to contain infectious diseases. These changes directly affect nursing home operators and their employees by mandating specific staffing roles and funding mechanisms designed to enhance safety protocols.

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.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits state departments, agencies, and municipalities, including school districts, from entering into contracts to purchase or install artificial turf fields. While the law allows already installed fields to remain in use, it explicitly bans replacing existing natural grass fields with artificial turf. The legislation aims to restrict public funding for new artificial turf projects by preventing government entities from contracting for their purchase and installation.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new chapter in Massachusetts law dedicated to language access and inclusion for state agencies. It creates a legal framework requiring agencies to provide equal access to public services for individuals who do not speak English as their primary language. The legislation mandates that agencies develop formal language access plans to outline how they will offer translation and interpretation services. Additionally, the bill defines key terms such as "limited English proficient" and "culturally competent" to guide how state departments interact with diverse populations.

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).