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