Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H2491 Compare Versions

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

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1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3419 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2491
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 establishing a task force to study the sustainability of emergency medical services.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:John J. Mahoney13th Worcester1/17/2025 1 of 3
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3419 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2491
18	18	By Representative Mahoney of Worcester, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2491) of
19	19	John J. Mahoney relative to establishing a task force to study the sustainability of emergency
20	20	medical services. Public Health.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE HOUSE, NO. 2154 OF 2023-2024.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
26	26	(2025-2026)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act establishing a task force to study the sustainability of emergency medical services.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the
32	32	2executive office of health and human services, in collaboration with the department of public
33	33	3health and the emergency medical care advisory board, shall establish a special task force to
34	34	4issue a report and make recommendations on the structure, support and delivery of emergency
35	35	5medical services in the commonwealth. The commission shall look at all aspects of emergency
36	36	6medical services and impact on patient quality of care, including but not limited to: the ability to
37	37	7designate emergency medical services as an essential service in the commonwealth; workforce
38	38	8development initiatives; training; compensation; retention; costs versus expenses of care;
39	39	9reimbursement rates; organization of EMS services; the feasibility of reorganizing the
40	40	10emergency medical care advisory board within the executive office of public safety and security, 2 of 3
41	41	11and; local and state support. The task force shall consist of the following members: the secretary
42	42	12of health and human services or their designee, who shall serve as co-chair; the commissioner of
43	43	13the department of public health or their designee, who shall service as co-chair; and one
44	44	14representative from each of the following organizations: the Massachusetts Health & Hospital
45	45	15Association; the Massachusetts Ambulance Association; the Professional Fire Fighters of
46	46	16Massachusetts; the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems; the Association for
47	47	17Behavioral Health Care; the Massachusetts College of Emergency Physicians, the Massachusetts
48	48	18Emergency Nurses Association, and; the Massachusetts Senior Care Association.
49	49	19 (b) The task force shall conduct an analysis and issue a report which shall include but not
50	50	20be limited to: (i) a review of the methodologies used for determining reimbursement rates
51	51	21affecting the availability of emergency and non-emergency ambulance transport, including a
52	52	22review of a cost-based method for rate determination, and the potential need to reimburse certain
53	53	23transports requiring longer transport-times or further geographical distances at a higher rate,
54	54	24including but not limited to transports to and within the behavioral health system; (ii) an
55	55	25assessment on the efficacy of the MassHealth non-emergency wheelchair van brokerage
56	56	26program; (iii) industry-wide workforce initiatives including, but not limited to, strategies to
57	57	27improve recruitment, training, including but not limited to, transitional training opportunities for
58	58	28emergency medical services, and cost of training, certification, and licensure ; (iv) impact of
59	59	29municipal ambulance service contracts being exempt from public bidding requirements; (v)
60	60	30impact of administrative barriers on access and utilization of non-emergency ambulance
61	61	31transport; (vi) the role of external economic factors on the development, sustainability, and
62	62	32retention of the emergency medical service workforce such as the increases in the minimum
63	63	33wage and competition from other industries; and (vii) recommendations on coverage and 3 of 3
64	64	34reimbursement methodology for emerging models, including but not limited to mobile integrated
65	65	35health and alternative behavioral health transportation.
66	66	36 (c) The task force shall convene its first meeting within 30 days of the effective date of
67	67	37this act. The task force shall submit its report, including recommendations to address any
68	68	38statutory, regulatory, budgetary, or other barriers to implementing said recommendations, with
69	69	39the clerks of the house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on health care
70	70	40financing, the joint committee on labor and workforce development, joint committee on public
71	71	41safety and homeland security, and the house and senate committees on ways and means within
72	72	42six months of the effective date of this act.