Healthcare

Every Massachusetts resident deserves access to high-quality, affordable healthcare, including mental and behavioral health services. We must continue working to lower barriers to care, strengthen MassHealth, support families caring for loved ones, and treat addiction as the serious public health challenge that it is. At the same time, Massachusetts must be prepared to protect access to healthcare if changes at the federal level threaten coverage our residents currently rely upon. I have filed legislation on the following priorities. 

Expand access to mental and behavioral healthcare. Mental health care should be treated with the same urgency and importance as physical healthcare. We should address disparities in access to behavioral health services for MassHealth members and ensure patients can receive appropriate and timely treatment regardless of where they live or the type of facility providing their care.

Ensure fair reimbursement for behavioral health providers. Massachusetts must maintain a strong network of hospitals and providers capable of delivering inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services. MassHealth reimbursement policies should fairly compensate providers for this care and eliminate unnecessary disparities between facilities. Sustainable reimbursement rates are essential to preserving and expanding access to treatment.

Create more compassionate behavioral health transportation. An ambulance or emergency-room response is not always the most appropriate option for someone experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Massachusetts should develop regional alternatives for non-emergency behavioral health transportation that prioritize patient dignity, reduce stigma, and lower unnecessary healthcare costs while ensuring individuals safely reach the treatment they need.

Support family caregivers. Families play an essential role in allowing seniors and people with disabilities to remain in their homes and communities. Spouses should be eligible to serve as paid caregivers under MassHealth programs that already permit other family members to provide compensated care. Families providing this critical support should not be disadvantaged simply because the caregiver is a husband or wife.

Close gaps in insurance coverage. Health insurance should provide meaningful access to the clinical care and extended support services that patients actually need. Massachusetts should continue identifying and closing coverage gaps that leave residents unable to afford medically necessary services or force families to navigate unnecessary barriers to treatment.

Protect employer-sponsored health insurance. Massachusetts should be prepared to protect workers and families if federal changes weaken important health-insurance protections established under the Affordable Care Act. State safeguards should automatically take effect when necessary to preserve protections for Massachusetts residents who receive health coverage through their employers.

Treat addiction as a public health issue. Our approach to addiction must include prevention, treatment, recovery services, and responsible regulation. That includes behavioral health and substance-use treatment as well as emerging challenges such as problem gambling. People struggling with addiction should have access to treatment and recovery resources before their situation reaches a crisis.

Strengthen responsible gambling protections. As gambling and online gaming become increasingly accessible, consumer protections must keep pace. Lottery, sports gaming, and fantasy contest advertising should provide clear information about the risks of gambling and direct individuals to resources for problem gambling. Massachusetts should also prevent companies from deliberately marketing gambling products to individuals known to be struggling with gambling addiction.

Successes 

Make health care more affordable and strengthen access to primary care. I supported legislation that was passed in the House of Representatives to expand access to primary and preventive care, strengthen our health care workforce, support hospitals and community health centers, and lower costs for patients. The legislation establishes statewide goals to increase investment in primary care, expands innovative community-based and at-home health care options, and invests in recruiting and retaining health care professionals. It also lowers out-of-pocket prescription drug costs by requiring most manufacturer rebates to benefit patients directly at the pharmacy counter, strengthens oversight of pharmacy benefit managers, and establishes safeguards to ensure artificial intelligence used in insurance decisions supports rather than replaces clinical decision-making. These reforms will help shift our health care system toward prevention and early intervention while improving affordability and access for patients across Massachusetts.