Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S1404 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 917 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1404
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	John F. Keenan
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 ensuring equitable access and care quality for masshealth recipients.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :John F. KeenanNorfolk and Plymouth 1 of 2
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 917 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1404
18	18	By Mr. Keenan, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1404) of John F. Keenan for
19	19	legislation to ensure equitable behavioral health access and care for Masshealth recipients.
20	20	Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery.
21	21	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
22	22	_______________
23	23	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
24	24	(2025-2026)
25	25	_______________
26	26	An Act ensuring equitable access and care quality for masshealth recipients.
27	27	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
28	28	of the same, as follows:
29	29	1 Section 12 of chapter 118E of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official
30	30	2Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the ninth paragraph the following paragraphs:-
31	31	3 The division shall certify and ensure that all contracted accountable care organizations,
32	32	4contracted health insurers, health plans, health maintenance organizations, and behavioral health
33	33	5management firms and third party administrators under contract to a Medicaid managed care
34	34	6organization or primary care clinician plan provide equal access to behavioral health services,
35	35	7benefits and medications of comparable quality in providing medical assistance to recipients.
36	36	8 The division shall obtain the approval of the secretary of the executive office of health
37	37	9and human services for all behavioral health services, benefits, and medications, including, but
38	38	10not limited to, policies, protocols, standards, contract specifications, utilization review and
39	39	11utilization management criteria and outcome measurements, used by all contracted accountable
40	40	12care organizations, contracted insurers, health plans, health maintenance organizations, 2 of 2
41	41	13behavioral health management firms and third party administrators under contract to a Medicaid
42	42	14managed care organization or primary care clinician plan.
43	43	15 Notwithstanding the provision of any general or special law to the contrary, all contracted
44	44	16accountable care organizations, contracted health insurers, health plans, health maintenance
45	45	17organizations and behavioral health management firms and third-party administrators under
46	46	18contract to a Medicaid managed care clinician plan shall submit its method of determining
47	47	19reimbursement levels to all network inpatient mental health and substance use providers and how
48	48	20such methodology is sufficient to meet the costs of providing inpatient care. Such method shall
49	49	21include, but not be limited to, the range of payment amounts including the median payment
50	50	22levels and how such payments are regularly updated. A report including this information shall be
51	51	23submitted on an annual basis from the date of the original submission to the division, the house
52	52	24and senate committees on ways and means, the committee on health care financing, and the
53	53	25committee on mental health, substance use and recovery no later than 90 days after the effective
54	54	26date of this act.