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Upcoming Hearing on Healthcare Access Bill in Massachusetts

On June 25, 2025, a crucial virtual hearing will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., organized by Massachusetts lawmakers in response to the dire situation prompted by recent hospital closures and the significant loss of essential healthcare services across the state. Facing the aftermath of these closures, which have devastated communities and patients alike, they will explore an important piece of legislation known as An Act Assessing Healthcare Access (SD1058/HD2593).

Filed by Senator Jacob Oliveira and Representative Ted Philips, this bill proposes to conduct a thorough statewide study that aims to evaluate the current healthcare landscape in Massachusetts, identify access gaps, and analyze the projected needs of its residents after several decades marked by service reductions and hospital shutdowns.

Katie Murphy, the President of the Massachusetts Nurses Association and an experienced ICU nurse, stressed the necessity of increased transparency regarding healthcare needs. She noted, "Critical healthcare decisions affecting who receives care and where are currently being made without a comprehensive understanding of what the communities genuinely require. This proposed bill represents a pivotal move toward putting patient care at the forefront of our healthcare planning rather than profit motives."

Details of the Legislative Hearing

• - Hearing: Joint Committee on Public Health
• - Date and Time: June 25, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• - Format: Virtual (public can watch via livestream at Mass Legislature)
• - Legislation: An Act Assessing Healthcare Access (SD1058/HD2593)
• - Sponsors: Senator Jacob Oliveira and Representative Ted Philips
• - Testimony: Will include input from Amy Gagnon, RN at Leominster Hospital and Alan P. Sager, PhD, a professor specializing in Health Law, Policy, and Management at Boston University.

The bill assigns the Massachusetts Department of Public Health with the task of analyzing existing healthcare capacity, projecting future needs, and examining the impacts of over 40 hospital closures since 2009, with a look back into the 1990s. It will also assess issues such as staffing shortages and the decline of crucial services like maternity care and treatment for mental health issues.

Moreover, the Massachusetts Nurses Association has been working with lawmakers on related legislation aimed at fortifying the state’s laws concerning hospital closures. This is in light of a noticeable spike in financially driven shut-downs, which have left entire communities without critical care services. The closures of Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center last year have particularly highlighted this ongoing crisis, as both institutions were significantly affected by financial mismanagement leading to bankruptcy.

Murphy further explained that current Massachusetts law fails to adequately protect patients and healthcare providers during such crises. She advocates for a shift in focus back to patients as the central element of the healthcare system, emphasizing that individuals, particularly vulnerable populations, should always have access to essential care.

Additional Legislative Efforts

• - An Act Relative to the Closing of Hospital Essential Services (S. 1503)

- This bill aims to expand the notification period given to the Department of Public Health before any healthcare service is closed. It also requires hospitals to inform affected municipalities and offers the Attorney General the power to seek injunctions to preserve essential services during this notice period.
- It establishes restrictions on the hospital's eligibility for licensure or expansions after closing essential services, ensuring that such closures do not occur during public health emergencies.

• - An Act Preserving Access to Hospital Services (S. 1574)

- This proposed law would create mechanisms for state intervention to prevent necessary hospitals or clinics from closing. It arose from a recognition of the inadequacies inherent in the state's response to hospital closure threats during the Steward crisis.

As the June 25 hearing approaches, there is a hopeful expectation for progressive changes in Massachusetts' healthcare landscape. Stakeholders urge a collective emphasis on patient welfare and systemic improvements to ensure equitable access to healthcare for all residents.