Legislative News & Alerts
The MOA and its dedicated lobbyist will monitor health care related bills and act and respond appropriately. Please check back for updates and action alerts to mobilize the MA orthopaedic Community. Thank you.
January 8, 2024
Summary of the 2023 Legislative Session and expectations for 2024, please see below:
The 2023/24 session resumed January 4th. All bills pending before the legislature in 2023 will carry over to 2024. Expect a busy Jan - July 2024.
In addition to long standing opposition to increased scope of practice for podiatrists and athletic trainers, the MOA has also presented testimony and advocates in support of:
H.1011/S.699, “An Act Relative to Fair and Equitable Compensation for Medical Services”, the Modifier 25 bill. (Galvin/Oliveira) would provide important protections for Massachusetts physicians against policies being implemented by some health insurance carriers to inappropriately reduce physician reimbursement when a modifier 25 code is applied.
Joining the MOA in support of the bill is the Mass Medical Society and physician specialty societies representing otolaryngologists, gastroenterologists, pediatricians, Ob/Gyn’s and emergency physicians. The bill is also supported by the American Academy of Dermatology as well as several other national physician associations. Importantly, we are looking to grow support for the bill from the hospital community. Southcoast Health and the MGB have both weighed with a letter of support.
H.1143, An Act to Improve Health Insurance Prior Authorization Process (Santiago) and S.1249, An Act Relative to Reducing Administrative Burden (Friedman). These identical bills would implement broad reforms to the prior authorization process to ensure patient access to timely, safe and affordable evidence-based care, and to reduce administrative burden for physicians and staff. H.1143 was heard by the Financial Services Committee on 9/12, the same day as the Modifier 25 bill.
The common theme between the modifier 25 and prior authorization bills is insurer interference in the practice of medicine and policies and procedures that do not benefit physicians or patients, but only serve to increase insurers bottom lines.
H.2145, An Act Relative to Truth in Advertising to require any advertisement for health care services that includes the name of a health care practitioner to include the type of licensure issued; and
H 3606/S.1348, An Act Relative to Health Care Transparency to provide clarity to patients who
are seeking care from a dermatologist or other physician by limiting who could use the title “physician'' in any title, advertisement or other communication with the public. Additionally, the legislation limits the use of the term “orthopedist” to only those that are licensed by the Board of Registration in Medicine.
The MOA is also monitoring and supporting efforts to ensure parity in reimbursement for telehealth services, health care consumer price transparency and reducing the cost of prescription drugs, and primary enforcement of seatbelts.
Looking forward, as usual, we will monitor the state budget process, which kicks off later this month when Gov Healey releases H.1, her FY’25 state budget recommendations. This is because legislation frequently gets included in the budget as adopted amendments and outside sections, some of which we support and some we oppose.
Late in 2023, the state Senate passed the PACT Act, intended to reduce the cost of prescription medications and increase transparency and state oversight of pharmaceutical companies. That bill now moves to the House. The House health care priority is protection of community hospitals, workforce development and increased state oversight of large hospital mergers and acquisitions, including revisions to the very outdated Determination of Need process. This could impact ambulatory surgery centers and will be closely monitored by the MOA for a negative impact on physician owned health care entities, or, on the positive side, it could open a door for relaxation of current restrictions on the development of non-hospital based or affiliated ASC’s.
Don’t know who your legislator is and/or how to contact them? Simply click here and you will be directed to the MA Legislature - Find My Legislator. Identify your home address in the fields provided, and your Legislators will populate along with their email addresses.
When alerts are issued by the MOA, your Association will provide sample letters for you to personalize and email directly to the legislator(s).