Dear friends,
I am writing to you today with legislative and public health updates.
Table of Contents
Legislative Updates
Public Health Updates
A Glimpse at the Past Week
Services and Resources
Legislative Updates
Governor Signs Health Care and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Legislation
This week, Governor Healey signed three comprehensive pieces of legislation passed by the House and Senate into law. I am grateful for the leadership of Speaker Ron Mariano; House Health Care Finance Chair John Lawn; House Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery Chair Adrian Madaro; as well as all of the work of other colleagues and advocates in getting these important bills over the finish line.
I know that I have already provided overviews of each of these bills, but below, you’ll find short summaries:
Hospital Oversight Reform: Closes loopholes in the healthcare market regulatory process exposed by the collapse of Steward Health Care, increases financial transparency by gathering more information regarding hospital finances, and assists in maintaining a more stable and sustainable healthcare system.
An amendment I filed requiring the inclusion of a representative with expertise in behavioral health, substance use disorder, mental health services, and the mental health reimbursement system to the Health Policy Commission (HPC) Governing Board was reflected.
Pharmacy Benefits Reform: Requires insurers to cover medications for diabetes, asthma, and certain heart conditions with no or limited out-of-pocket costs for patients. For each condition, insurers are required to eliminate cost-sharing requirements for one generic drug and to cap co-payments on one brand-name drug at $25 per 30-day supply. The bill also drastically increases state oversight of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which currently negotiate prescription drug prices with little oversight.
Substance Use Disorder Treatment Reform: Expands access to opioid reversal drugs, modifies mandated reporting requirements for substance-exposed newborns whose parents are taking medication for addiction treatment or have a substance use disorder, and establishes liability protections for organizations providing drug-checking services.
An Act relative to reimbursement for recovery peer specialists, a bill I filed last session was reflected, which mandates all health plans cover recovery coach services without cost-sharing or prior authorization at no less than MassHealth rates, establishes recovery coach licensing and oversight within the Department of Public Health, and codifies the practice of recovery coaching.
An amendment I filed requiring that insurance provides adequate coverage and access to pain management services without prior authorization, including non-opioid alternatives to pain treatment like acupuncture or yoga, was reflected.
This week, I've been meeting with constituents in coffee shops and advocates in my office and over Zoom in preparation for the bill filing deadline. I’m excited about the upcoming legislative session and look forward to sharing with you the bills I have filed.
Public Health Updates
Louisiana Reports First Bird Flu Death in US
The first H5N1 bird flu death in the United States was reported in Louisiana. H5 bird flu is highly prevalent among wild birds worldwide and has caused outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows. According to the Louisiana Department of Health, the patient who had been hospitalized with the first human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or H5N1, in both the U.S. and Louisiana has passed away. The deceased individual was over 65 years old and had underlying medical conditions. They contracted H5N1 after being exposed to a combination of a non-commercial backyard flock and wild birds. The investigation by the department found no other human cases linked to this patient's infection. As of January 6, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that there have been 66 human cases of bird flu reported across 10 states.
DPH Approves Emergency Regulations Protecting Reproductive Health Care
On Wednesday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Board of Registration in Nursing approved emergency amendments to regulations that are in line with the state Shield Law. The Shield Law was enacted in 2022 after the U.S. Supreme Court ended federal legal protection for abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health; it protects people physically present in Massachusetts from out-of-state civil or criminal legal action for legally protected health care activity. The Shield Law has applied to nurses since its passage. However, the new DPH regulations will further protect Massachusetts nurses from licensure disqualification and Board discipline for providing, or assisting in providing, reproductive and gender-affirming health care services in the state.
Judge Orders UnitedHealth Companies to Pay $165 Million for Deceptive Practices
Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced on Wednesday that the Suffolk Superior Court issued an order requiring three UnitedHealth insurance companies, HealthMarkets, Inc. and its subsidiaries, The Chesapeake Life Insurance Company, and HealthMarkets Insurance Agency, Inc. f/k/a Inspehre Insurance Solutions, Inc., to pay over $50 million in restitution for Massachusetts consumers. The order also required the insurance companies to pay over $115 million in civil penalties to the Commonwealth for misleading consumers. The action was first brought in 2020 by the AG’s Office, alleging that the companies violated the state consumer protection law by misleading consumers into buying unnecessary health insurance products.
US Surgeon General Issues New Advisory on Alcohol and Cancer Risk
The US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued an advisory regarding the connection between alcohol consumption and cancer risk. The advisory highlights that consuming alcohol is directly linked to an increased risk of developing at least seven types of cancer, including breast, colorectal, esophagus, voice box, liver, mouth, and throat cancers. Alcohol is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the United States, following tobacco use and obesity. The advisory also points out that less than half of Americans are aware that alcohol consumption elevates cancer risk. To address this, it recommends that cancer risk information be included on warning labels for alcoholic beverages.
Biden-Harris Administration Announce Final Rule to Remove Medical Debt from All Credit Reports
Vice President Harris announced new regulations from the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau aimed at removing medical debt from consumer credit reports. This initiative seeks to improve the financial well-being of millions of residents and ensure that patients aren’t denied access to credit for home mortgages, car loans, or small business loans due to unpaid medical bills. According to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately 1 in 12 adults in the U.S. had medical debts as of 2021. The new rules would prohibit credit agencies from including medical debts on consumers’ credit reports. This change could result in $49 billion in medical bills being removed from the credit reports of more than 15 million Americans.
Cambridge Public Health Helpline Supports Residents with COVID-19
To speak with someone, call the confidential COVID-19 Hotline at 617-933-0797. Learn more here.
Intimate Partner Abuse Prevention Helpline
This initiative is designed to prevent intimate partner violence by fostering accountability and change in people who harm or may harm their partner. You can find more information at 10to10helpline.org or by calling 877-898-3411.
SafeSpot Overdose Prevention Helpline
SafeSpot is a virtual spotting/overdose detection service for people who use drugs. Learn more at safe-spot.me or access it by calling 800-972-0590.
De Novo Center for Justice and Healing
De Novo is a Cambridge-based nonprofit that provides free civil legal assistance and affordable psychological counseling to people with low incomes. You can learn more about their services at denovo.org.
MassLegalHelp.org is a resource to help Massachusetts residents learn about their legal rights. The website does not offer legal advice or answer individual questions but has a page about options for finding a lawyer. It does provide resources for those facing legal issues, such as a landlord refusing to make repairs, appealing the denial of SNAP benefits, and questions about getting a CORI sealed.
As always, please contact me with questions or concerns at Marjorie.Decker@mahouse.gov.
Sincerely,
Marjorie