Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S849 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. 143 FILED ON: 1/8/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 849
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Julian Cyr
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 health care as a right.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Julian CyrCape and Islands 1 of 2
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 143 FILED ON: 1/8/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 849
18	18	By Mr. Cyr, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 849) of Julian Cyr for legislation to
19	19	ensure health care for all. Health Care Financing.
20	20	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
21	21	_______________
22	22	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
23	23	(2025-2026)
24	24	_______________
25	25	An Act to ensure health care as a right.
26	26	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
27	27	of the same, as follows:
28	28	1 (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the following terms shall
29	29	2have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise:
30	30	3 “Single payer benchmark”, the estimated total costs of providing health care to all
31	31	4residents of the commonwealth under a single payer health care system in a given year.
32	32	5 “Single payer health care”, a system that provides publicly financed, universal access to
33	33	6health care for the population through a unified public health care plan.
34	34	7 (b) The center for health information and analysis shall recommend a methodology to
35	35	8develop a single payer benchmark. The single payer health care system considered under the
36	36	9single payer benchmark shall offer continuous, comprehensive and affordable coverage for all
37	37	10residents of the commonwealth regardless of income, assets, health status or availability of other
38	38	11health coverage. The benchmark may consider the costs of a single-payer health care system at
39	39	12different actuarial values, levels of cost-sharing and levels of provider reimbursement; provided 2 of 2
40	40	13however that the benchmark shall include all actuarial values, levels of cost-sharing and levels of
41	41	14provider reimbursement considered by the center. In developing the methodology, the center
42	42	15shall monitor, review and evaluate reports related to single payer health care and the
43	43	16performance of single payer health care systems in other states and countries.
44	44	17 (c) The center for health information and analysis, in conjunction with the health policy
45	45	18commission and the division of insurance, shall provide an annual report detailing a comparison
46	46	19of the actual health care expenditures in the commonwealth for 2025, 2026 and 2027 with the
47	47	20single payer benchmark for 2025, 2026 and 2027, respectively, indicating whether the
48	48	21commonwealth would have saved money while expanding access to care under a single payer
49	49	22health care system. The first report shall be filed by not later than July 1, 2027 to the clerks of the
50	50	23senate and house of representatives, the joint committee on health care financing and the senate
51	51	24and house committees on ways and means.
52	52	25 (d) If a report under subsection (c) determines that the single payer benchmark
53	53	26outperformed the actual total health care expenditures in the commonwealth in 2025, 2026 and
54	54	272027 the health policy commission shall submit a proposed single payer health care
55	55	28implementation plan to the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the joint committee
56	56	29on health care financing and the senate and house committees on ways and means within 1 year
57	57	30of the date that the report is filed. The plan may include proposed legislation to implement a
58	58	31single payer health care system that offers continuous, comprehensive and affordable coverage
59	59	32for all residents regardless of income, assets, health status or availability of other health
60	60	33coverage. When developing the implementation plan, the commission shall hold not less than 3
61	61	34public hearings and seek stakeholder input from across the commonwealth.”.