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H4342 • 2025

An Act assuring prompt access to health care

An Act assuring prompt access to health care

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

Sponsor
Financial Services (J)
Last action
2026-03-19
Official status
Referred to Joint Committee on Health Care Financing
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 assuring prompt access to health care

An Act assuring prompt access to health care Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Health Care Financing

What This Bill Does

  • An Act assuring prompt access to health care Status: Referred to Joint Committee on Health Care Financing

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

  1. 2026-03-19 House

    Reporting date extended to Monday, June 15, 2026

  2. 2025-12-08 House

    Reporting date extended to Wednesday, March 18, 2026

  3. 2025-07-31 House

    Reported from the committee on Financial Services

  4. 2025-07-31 House

    New draft of H1309

  5. 2025-07-31 House

    Reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Health Care Financing

Official Summary Text

An Act assuring prompt access to health care
Status:
Referred to Joint Committee on Health Care Financing

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
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Bill H.4342

SECTION 1. Chapter 32A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 34 the following section:

Section 35: Reimbursement of costs for medically appropriate evaluation and management services in outpatient settings, including but not limited to office- and hospital-based clinics, in accordance with guidelines developed by the division of insurance, shall be part of a basic benefits package offered by the insurer or a third party and shall not require a deductible; provided, however, that deductibles shall be required if the applicable plan is governed by the Federal Internal Revenue Code and would lose its tax-exempt status as a result of the prohibition on deductibles for these services.

SECTION 2. Chapter 32B of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 29 the following section:

Section 30: Reimbursement of costs for medically appropriate evaluation and management services in outpatient settings, including but not limited to office- and hospital-based clinics, in accordance with guidelines developed by the division of insurance, shall be part of a basic benefits package offered by the insurer or a third party and shall not require a deductible; provided, however, that deductibles shall be required if the applicable plan is governed by the Federal Internal Revenue Code and would lose its tax-exempt status as a result of the prohibition on deductibles for these services.

SECTION 3. Chapter 175 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting, before section 47CCC, the following section:-

Section 47AAA: Reimbursement of costs for medically appropriate evaluation and management services in outpatient settings, including but not limited to office- and hospital-based clinics, in accordance with guidelines developed by the division of insurance, shall be part of a basic benefits package offered by any blanket or general policy of insurance described in subdivision (A), (C), or (D) of section one hundred and ten which is issued or subsequently renewed by agreement between the insurer and the policyholder, within or without the commonwealth, during the period within which this premium is effective, or any policy of accident or sickness insurance as described in section one hundred and eight which provides hospital expense and surgical expense insurance and which is delivered or issued for delivery or subsequently renewed by agreement between the insurer and the policyholder in the commonwealth, during the period within which this provision is effective, or any employers' health and welfare fund which provides hospital expense and surgical expense benefits and which is issued or renewed to any person or group of persons in the commonwealth, during the period within which this provision is effective, and shall not require a deductible; provided, however, that deductibles shall be required if the applicable plan is governed by the Federal Internal Revenue Code and would lose its tax-exempt status as a result of the prohibition on deductibles for these services.

SECTION 4. Chapter 176A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 8DDD, the following section:-

Section 8EEE: Reimbursement of costs for medically appropriate evaluation and management services in outpatient settings, including but not limited to office- and hospital-based clinics, in accordance with guidelines developed by the division of insurance, shall be part of a basic benefits package offered by the insurer or a third party and shall not require a deductible; provided, however, that deductibles shall be required if the applicable plan is governed by the Federal Internal Revenue Code and would lose its tax-exempt status as a result of the prohibition on deductibles for these services.

SECTION 5. Chapter 176B of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 4DDD the following section:-

Section 4EEE: Reimbursement of costs for medically appropriate evaluation and management services in outpatient settings, including but not limited to office- and hospital-based clinics, in accordance with guidelines developed by the division of insurance, shall be part of a basic benefits package offered by the insurer or a third party and shall not require a deductible; provided, however, that a deductible shall be required if the applicable plan is governed by the Federal Internal Revenue Code and would lose its tax-exempt status as a result of the prohibition on deductibles for these services.

SECTION 6. Chapter 176G of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 33 the following section:-

Section 34: Reimbursement of costs for medically appropriate evaluation and management services in outpatient settings, including but not limited to office- and hospital-based clinics, in accordance with guidelines developed by the division of insurance, shall be part of a basic benefits package offered by the insurer or a third party and shall not require a deductible; provided, however, that a deductible shall be required if the applicable plan is governed by the Federal Internal Revenue Code and would lose its tax-exempt status as a result of the prohibition on deductibles for these services.

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