1 of 1
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3419 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2491
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
John J. Mahoney
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act establishing a task force to study the sustainability of emergency medical services.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:John J. Mahoney13th Worcester1/17/2025 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3419 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2491
By Representative Mahoney of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2491) of
John J. Mahoney relative to establishing a task force to study the sustainability of emergency
medical services. Public Health.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2154 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
_______________
An Act establishing a task force to study the sustainability of emergency medical services.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the
2executive office of health and human services, in collaboration with the department of public
3health and the emergency medical care advisory board, shall establish a special task force to
4issue a report and make recommendations on the structure, support and delivery of emergency
5medical services in the commonwealth. The commission shall look at all aspects of emergency
6medical services and impact on patient quality of care, including but not limited to: the ability to
7designate emergency medical services as an essential service in the commonwealth; workforce
8development initiatives; training; compensation; retention; costs versus expenses of care;
9reimbursement rates; organization of EMS services; the feasibility of reorganizing the
10emergency medical care advisory board within the executive office of public safety and security, 2 of 3
11and; local and state support. The task force shall consist of the following members: the secretary
12of health and human services or their designee, who shall serve as co-chair; the commissioner of
13the department of public health or their designee, who shall service as co-chair; and one
14representative from each of the following organizations: the Massachusetts Health & Hospital
15Association; the Massachusetts Ambulance Association; the Professional Fire Fighters of
16Massachusetts; the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems; the Association for
17Behavioral Health Care; the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians, the Massachusetts
18Emergency Nurses Association, and; the Massachusetts Senior Care Association.
19 (b) The task force shall conduct an analysis and issue a report which shall include but not
20be limited to: (i) a review of the methodologies used for determining reimbursement rates
21affecting the availability of emergency and non-emergency ambulance transport, including a
22review of a cost-based method for rate determination, and the potential need to reimburse certain
23transports requiring longer transport-times or further geographical distances at a higher rate,
24including but not limited to transports to and within the behavioral health system; (ii) an
25assessment on the efficacy of the MassHealth non-emergency wheelchair van brokerage
26program; (iii) industry-wide workforce initiatives including, but not limited to, strategies to
27improve recruitment, training, including but not limited to, transitional training opportunities for
28emergency medical services, and cost of training, certification, and licensure ; (iv) impact of
29municipal ambulance service contracts being exempt from public bidding requirements; (v)
30impact of administrative barriers on access and utilization of non-emergency ambulance
31transport; (vi) the role of external economic factors on the development, sustainability, and
32retention of the emergency medical service workforce such as the increases in the minimum
33wage and competition from other industries; and (vii) recommendations on coverage and 3 of 3
34reimbursement methodology for emerging models, including but not limited to mobile integrated
35health and alternative behavioral health transportation.
36 (c) The task force shall convene its first meeting within 30 days of the effective date of
37this act. The task force shall submit its report, including recommendations to address any
38statutory, regulatory, budgetary, or other barriers to implementing said recommendations, with
39the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on health care
40financing, the joint committee on labor and workforce development, joint committee on public
41safety and homeland security, and the house and senate committees on ways and means within
42six months of the effective date of this act.