H2445 • 2025

An Act preserving essential services in our hospitals

Healthcare

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Higgins, Natalie M.
Last action: 2026-03-16
Official status: Accompanied a study order, see H5234
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act preserving essential services in our hospitals

An Act preserving essential services in our hospitals By Representatives Higgins of Leominster and Scarsdale of Pepperell, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

An Act preserving essential services in our hospitals By Representatives Higgins of Leominster and Scarsdale of Pepperell, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
2445) of Natalie M.
Higgins, Margaret R.
Scarsdale and others relative to essential services in hospitals.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-03-16 House
Accompanied a study order, see H5234
2025-10-20 House
Reporting date extended to Thursday, November 20, 2025
2025-09-11 House
Reporting date extended to Tuesday, October 21, 2025
2025-06-16 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 06/25/2025 from 10:00 AM-01:00 PM in A-1
2025-02-27 House
Referred to the committee on Public Health
2025-02-27 Senate
Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act preserving essential services in our hospitals
By Representatives Higgins of Leominster and Scarsdale of Pepperell, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2445) of Natalie M. Higgins, Margaret R. Scarsdale and others relative to essential services in hospitals. Public Health.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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Bill H.2445

Chapter 111 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking subsection (4) of section 51G and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

(4) Any hospital shall inform the department 90 days prior to the proposed closing of the hospital or the proposed discontinuance of any essential health service provided therein. The department shall by regulation define ''essential health service'' for the purposes of this section. The department shall, in the event that a hospital proposes to discontinue an essential health service or services, conduct a public hearing on the closure of said essential services or of the hospital. The department shall determine whether any such discontinued services are necessary for preserving access and health status in the hospital's service area and if the department so determines, the essential health service shall not be proposed for closure for three years.

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