Patients First Act
On January 1, 2022, specific provisions of “An Act Promoting a Resilient Health Care System That Puts Patients First” went into effect. The legislation intended to resolve problems created when a health insurer, under certain circumstances, did not cover the cost of care and the subscriber was forced to pay the bill. Examples of “Surprise Billing” focused on problems with health insurance coverage. On the federal level, “Surprise Billing” legislation is focused solely on health insurers.
Recently, the Massachusetts Senate and House passed an amendment to bill S.3007, An Act Relative to Extending Certain State of Emergency Accommodations. This amendment will delay enforcement of the Patients First Act of 2020 until January 1, 2025. Governor Baker signed the legislation on July 16, 2022. If left unchanged, the legislation would have required health care providers and dentists to provide notice for out-of-network services and bills by July 31, 2022.
Recently, the Massachusetts Senate and House passed an amendment to bill S.3007, An Act Relative to Extending Certain State of Emergency Accommodations. This amendment will delay enforcement of the Patients First Act of 2020 until January 1, 2025. Governor Baker signed the legislation on July 16, 2022. If left unchanged, the legislation would have required health care providers and dentists to provide notice for out-of-network services and bills by July 31, 2022.
The MDS will continue to seek a legislative resolution to this issue in the 2023-2024 session. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Brian Monteiro, director of government affairs and public relations.