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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1058 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1610 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Jacob R. Oliveira |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act assessing healthcare access. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and WorcesterMichael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk3/3/2025 1 of 2 |
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| 16 | 16 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1058 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1610 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Mr. Oliveira, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1610) of Jacob R. Oliveira and |
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| 19 | 19 | | Michael D. Brady for legislation to assess healthcare access. Public Health. |
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| 20 | 20 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 21 | 21 | | SEE SENATE, NO. 1450 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 22 | 22 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 23 | 23 | | _______________ |
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| 24 | 24 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 25 | 25 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 26 | 26 | | _______________ |
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| 27 | 27 | | An Act assessing healthcare access. |
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| 28 | 28 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 29 | 29 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 30 | 30 | | 1 Chapter 111 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2amended by adding at the end the following section:- |
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| 32 | 32 | | 3 The Department, in consultation with the Health Policy Commission and the Center for |
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| 33 | 33 | | 4Health Information Analysis, shall commission a study. The study shall examine current access |
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| 34 | 34 | | 5to essential health services, as defined by the department of public health under section 51G of |
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| 35 | 35 | | 6chapter 111, provided by the Commonwealth’s acute care hospitals including community |
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| 36 | 36 | | 7hospitals, in-patient psychiatric hospitals, the effect of the discontinuation of essential health |
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| 37 | 37 | | 8services on that access, the projected need for those services in all regions of the Commonwealth |
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| 38 | 38 | | 9over the next decade and provide recommendations as to how to ensure access to those essential |
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| 39 | 39 | | 10health services. This study shall include, but not be limited to (i) the current number of beds and 2 of 2 |
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| 40 | 40 | | 11services provided by each hospital in each region, including the most recent year’s admission |
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| 41 | 41 | | 12and discharge data for each service by hospital; (ii) review discontinuations of essential health |
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| 42 | 42 | | 13services by hospitals since 1992 and their effect on access to these essential health services; (ii) |
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| 43 | 43 | | 14review hospital closures since 1992 and their effect on access to these essential health services; |
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| 44 | 44 | | 15(iii) review plans provided to the department of public health following the discontinuation of |
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| 45 | 45 | | 16essential services for compliance and identify where essential health services were provided |
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| 46 | 46 | | 17following the discontinuation; (iv) calculate projected need for essential health services in each |
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| 47 | 47 | | 18region; (v) calculate projected need, if any, for providers of essential health services to meet |
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| 48 | 48 | | 19regional needs over the next decade; (vi) examine financial conditions that might lead to the |
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| 49 | 49 | | 20discontinuation of essential health services, including but not limited to private and public |
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| 50 | 50 | | 21reimbursement rates; (vii) identify essential health services by region that might be vulnerable to |
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| 51 | 51 | | 22discontinuation over the next three years; (viii) examine the need for additional post in-patient |
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| 52 | 52 | | 23discharge services (viii) identify steps to protect essential health services provided by financially |
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| 53 | 53 | | 24vulnerable acute care and inpatient psychiatric hospitals; (ix) review methods implemented in |
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| 54 | 54 | | 25other states to discourage and manage the discontinuation of essential health services by acute |
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| 55 | 55 | | 26care hospitals and in-patient psychiatric hospitals closures; and (x) recommend any policy |
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| 56 | 56 | | 27changes to assure access to essential health services in all regions of the Commonwealth. |
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