Legislature approves new healthcare bill
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Rep. Jennifer Benson of Lunenburg has been an advocate of a new healthcare bill.
The House and Senate approved a compromise bill Tuesday aimed at improving health care for children and young adults.
The House voted 154-0 Tuesday to advance a version of the bill that a six-member conference committee agreed to and filed on Monday. The Senate approved the compromise on a voice vote and the bill appears on its way to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk by Wednesday.
The legislation would extend MassHealth coverage until age 26 for young adults formerly in Department of Children and Families custody, require insurers to maintain accurate online provider directories, and create several commissions to study other youth-related health topics.
"This bill helps bridge the gap between our children and mental health services, it makes it easier for parents to access these services for their children and it makes sure they will have the information they need to make informed decisions," chief House negotiator Rep. Jennifer Benson said on the House floor.
Under the bill, the state will launch a pilot program creating three "regional childhood behavioral health centers of excellence" to improve accessibility to behavioral health resources and conduct an analysis of the challenges children with medical complexities face accessing insurance coverage and services.
The bill also calls for a new commission to examine the pediatric workforce and recommend strategies for increasing the pipeline of pediatric providers and expanding access to practicing providers, according to a bill summary, and creates another commission to review the school-based health center program.
Mandated reported laws and regulations would be the focus of another commission, which would be charged with making recommendations on how to improve the response to child abuse and neglect. A task force to protect children against sexual abuse would also be reconstituted, with a Dec. 31, 2021 deadline for recommendations.
Sen. Cindy Friedman, the Senate's lead negotiator on the health conference committee, told the News Service she has "great confidence" that the Senate will wrap up its work on the topic by the end of the final formal session of 2019 on Wednesday.
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