Legislative Updates - Comprehensive Health Care Reform, Scope Expansion, Out of Network and More
With only 5 ½ months left in 2019-20 state legislative session, and the hearing season behind us, expect more action on the 6000 bills pending before the Legislature and substantive debate on priority issues by the House and Senate. All bills not signed into law or on by Governor’s desk by July 31
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will die and have to be refiled for consideration in the 2021/22 session.
To date, the Senate has acted on several comprehensive health care bills, all of which are currently pending before the House. S.2397, the PACT Act, would further tighten up transparency and accountability provisions for prescription drug costs. S.2519, the Mental Health ABC Act is aimed at removing barriers and improving access to inpatient and outpatient mental health services. The Senate is also planning to roll out a 3rd health care bill, which is likely to focus primarily on out-of-network billing, scope of practice, and telemedicine. Those issues are stated priorities of both the House and Senate and are widely expected to be addressed within the next month or two by both branches.
Building on our Legislative Advocacy Day late last year, the MOA has kept up the momentum, and has been a steady voice for orthopedic surgeons on Beacon Hill. In November, Walter Stanwood, MD, MOA President, Chris Chiodo, MD, and Scott Ryan, MD presented oral testimony before the Committee on Public Health in support of H.1997, An Act Enhancing the Podiatric Profession’s Registration and Oversight, legislation put forth at the request of the MOA to merge the Board of Registration in Podiatry into the Board of Registration in Medicine, thus ensuring appropriate, rigorous and consistent oversight of all providers of foot surgery. While that bill was ultimately put into a study by the Committee, S.146, the same bill filed in the Senate, was reported out of the Committee on Professional Licensure favorably. H.1869/S.1329, An Act Relative to the Definition of Podiatry, which would increase the scope of practice for podiatrists, is still pending before the Public Health Committee. As noted above, the podiatry issue, like all scope of practice bills, will likely be addressed in the House and Senate’s comprehensive health care proposals, and not as standalone legislation.
The MOA presented written testimony on H.4134, An Act to Improve Health Care by Investing in Value, before the Committee on Health Care Financing in late January. H.4134 included podiatry scope of practice language, an inadequate reimbursement formula and onerous disclosure requirements for planned Out of Network services, all of which was opposed by the MOA.
In addition, the MOA joined with the American Physical Therapy Association of Massachusetts and several other physician specialty societies in opposing proposed regulations by the Board of Registration of Allied Health Professionals to increase the scope of practice for athletic trainers.
More action to come on these and other legislative and regulatory health care issues is expected shortly, so stay tuned and stay active with the MOA!
