By Bob Katzen
Senate 35-4, approved and sent to the House legislation that supporters said would make it easier for Massachusetts residents to get a primary care doctor and an appointment with him or her. They noted the bill reduces the amount of time providers have to spend on administrative paperwork and aims to reduce health care costs.
Provisions include requiring health care providers and insurers to invest more heavily in primary care services; ensuring fairer compensation for community health centers, which serve as the frontline of primary care for many residents; and increasing the Massachusetts’ primary care workforce by unlocking matching federal funds to train and recruit more primary care doctors.
“Massachusetts has always led the way on health care, and today the Senate is doing it again,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “Too many of our residents are struggling to find a primary care doctor or putting off basic care because of the cost. That’s not acceptable, and it’s not sustainable. This legislation takes direct aim at the problem. It requires greater investment in primary care, lifts up the community health centers at the heart of so many neighborhoods and grows the workforce our residents need. When we get primary care right, everything else in our health care system works better.”
“After an exhaustive and thorough analysis of our primary health care delivery system, the Senate today acted on a comprehensive package of provisions informed by recommendations from the Primary Care Task Force, improving access to primary care for all Massachusetts residents,” said Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “This sweeping legislation supports residents of the commonwealth by incentivizing significant investments into primary care, grows our health care workforce, assists community health centers and cuts down on administrative bureaucracy.”
“With this nation-leading approach, the Massachusetts Senate is confronting the primary care crisis head-on with the thoughtfulness and urgency it deserves,” said Sen. Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington), Senate Chair of the Committee on Health Care Financing. “For far too long, our health care system has put too much emphasis on costly medical interventions, rather than incentivizing preventive care delivered in our primary care practices and community health centers. The legislation passed today delivers an historic increase in primary care funding in Massachusetts by reprioritizing and shifting how we spend our health care dollars to support our primary care providers, increases access to value-based care and delivers better health outcomes for patients.”
Opponents said the bill has some good points but does not do enough to control skyrocketing medical costs. They supported a number of failed amendments that they said would improve the measure.
None of the four GOP senators who voted against the legislation responded to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them why they opposed the measure. Those four senators are Sens. Kelly Dooner (R-Taunton), Peter Durant
(R-Spencer), Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) and Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester).
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.)
Sen. Patricia Jehlen Yes