Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H1386 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4008 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1386
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	John J. Mahoney
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act to ensure uniform and transparent reporting of medical debt data.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:John J. Mahoney13th Worcester1/17/2025 1 of 5
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 4008 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1386
18	18	By Representative Mahoney of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1386) of
19	19	John J. Mahoney for legislation to establish an electronic system of public reporting for
20	20	providers as a prerequisite condition for advancing overdue medical bills to debt collection
21	21	agencies. Health Care Financing.
22	22	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
23	23	_______________
24	24	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
25	25	(2025-2026)
26	26	_______________
27	27	An Act to ensure uniform and transparent reporting of medical debt data.
28	28	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
29	29	of the same, as follows:
30	30	1 SECTION 1. Section 7 of chapter 6D of the General Laws, as so appearing in the 2022
31	31	2Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking subsection (d) in its entirety and inserting in
32	32	3place thereof the following:-
33	33	4 (d) The commission shall consider proposals that achieve 1 or more of the following
34	34	5goals: (i) to support safety-net provider and disproportionate share hospital participation in new
35	35	6payment and health care payment and service delivery models; (ii) to support the successful
36	36	7implementation of performance improvement plans by health care entities under subsection (c)
37	37	8of section 10; (iii) to support cooperative efforts between representatives of employees and
38	38	9management that are focused on controlling costs and improving the quality of care through
39	39	10workforce engagement; (iv) to support the evaluation of mobile health and connected health
40	40	11technologies to improve health outcomes among under-served patients with chronic diseases; (v)
41	41	12to develop the capacity to safely and effectively treat chronic, common, and complex diseases in 2 of 5
42	42	13rural and underserved areas and to monitor outcomes of those treatments; (vi) to reimburse the
43	43	14center for health information analysis on all funds expended for the purposes of executing the
44	44	15uniform medical debt reporting system established in section 25 of chapter 12C; and (vii) any
45	45	16other goals as determined by the commission.
46	46	17 SECTION 2. Section 1 of chapter 12C of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
47	47	18amended by inserting after the definition of ''Medical assistance program'' the following
48	48	19definition:-
49	49	20 “Medical debt”, any debt owed for goods or services provided by a medical facility, a
50	50	21provider of health care or a provider of emergency medical services including the financing or an
51	51	22extension of credit by a third party for the sole purpose of purchasing goods or services provided
52	52	23by a medical facility, a provider of health care or a provider of emergency medical services.
53	53	24 And is further amended by inserting after the definition of ''Self-insured group'' the
54	54	25following definition:-
55	55	26 “Significant medical debt”, any medical debt owed by an individual exceeding $200.
56	56	27 SECTION 3. Said chapter 12C of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby further
57	57	28amended by inserting after section 24 the following new section:-
58	58	29 Section 25. Uniform medical debt reporting system
59	59	30 (a) The center shall coordinate with the public health council, the boards of registration
60	60	31for providers, the commission board, and the state finance and governance board to develop a
61	61	32uniform and interoperable electronic system of public reporting for providers as a prerequisite
62	62	33condition for advancing overdue medical bills to a debt collection agency. 3 of 5
63	63	34 (b) The uniform medical debt reporting system shall include information designed to
64	64	35advise on policy relating to medical debt. The uniform medical debt reporting system shall also
65	65	36ensure a comprehensive and transparent analysis of demographic data as it relates to medical
66	66	37debt including, but not limited to, rates of medical debt carried in the following demographics:
67	67	38(1) race; (2) sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation; (2) disability status; (3) criminal record;
68	68	39(4) health status; (5) family and individual income level; (6) education; (7) nation of origin; (8)
69	69	40region of residence in the commonwealth; (8) individual and family health insurance status; (8)
70	70	41veteran status; (9) age group; (10) chronic condition status; (11) education level; (12) primary
71	71	42language; and (13) times between procedures and reporting of debt to a collection agency.
72	72	43 (c) The purpose of the uniform medical debt reporting system is to reduce the adverse
73	73	44effects of medical debt and to protect patients in matters related to medical creditors, medical
74	74	45debt buyers, and medical debt collectors with respect to such debt. As such, the center shall
75	75	46collect and analyze data on all aspects related to the purposes of this section including, but not
76	76	47limited to: trends of medical debt assignment and collection per provider; rates of medical debt
77	77	48qualifying as “significant” as defined in section 1; the relative concentration of individual and
78	78	49family debt per person as compared to the total amount of medical debt in the commonwealth;
79	79	50any risks associated with masking medical debt data; the impact of medical debt data on public
80	80	51health and welfare; and dating relating to the rate at which those carrying medical debts
81	81	52successfully settle such debt.
82	82	53 (d) The center may centralize the uniform medical debt reporting system or create a
83	83	54central portal for public access to the medical debt data and information. The uniform medical
84	84	55debt reporting system shall be accessible to other state agencies and authorities including, but not 4 of 5
85	85	56limited to, the commission, the secretary for the executive office of health and human services,
86	86	57the department of public health, and the state finance and governance board.
87	87	58 (e) The center shall promptly make available to the secretary of the executive office of
88	88	59health and human services all data pursuant to subsection (a) prior to a provider sending such
89	89	60debt information to a collection agency.
90	90	61 (f) The center shall coordinate with the commission, through its oversight and control of
91	91	62the Healthcare Payment Reform Fund, pursuant to section 7 of chapter 6D, to receive
92	92	63reimbursement funds for the purposes of executing the uniform medical debt reporting system as
93	93	64established in this section.
94	94	65 SECTION 4. Section 52 of chapter 93 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
95	95	66amended by inserting after clause (6) of subsection (a) the following two clauses:-
96	96	67 (7) Information concerning medical debt arising from the receipt of health care services.
97	97	68 (8) Medical debt which has:
98	98	69 (a) not yet been reported to the secretary of the executive office of health and human
99	99	70services pursuant to section 25(c) of chapter 12C;
100	100	71 (b) already been fully paid or settled; or
101	101	72 (c) existed for less than one year from the date of first acquisition.
102	102	73 SECTION 5. Said section 52 of said chapter 93, as so appearing, is hereby further
103	103	74amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:- 5 of 5
104	104	75 (b) Except for the provisions in clause (8), the provisions of subsection (a) are not
105	105	76applicable in the case of any consumer credit report to be used in connection with:
106	106	77 (1) a credit transaction involving, or which may reasonably be expected to involve, a
107	107	78principal amount of fifty thousand dollars or more; or
108	108	79 (2) the underwriting of life insurance involving, or which may reasonably be expected to
109	109	80involve, a face amount of fifty thousand dollars or more.