The House voted unanimously Wednesday to pass a wide-ranging children's health bill that Democratic leadership unveiled two days ago.
In a lengthy formal session — expected to be the final one before members take an August recess — the House voted 156-0 to approve the bill (H 4012), which makes several regulatory changes aimed at improving access to various forms of treatment for vulnerable youth and studying better ways to manage care.
The legislation combines components from several standalone bills filed by members. It would preserve in statute an existing practice to allow foster children to remain covered by MassHealth until they turn 26, mirroring what children covered by their parents' private insurance can do.
"Today we're taking a major step to make child and adolescent wellbeing a House session-long priority, beginning with this legislation," House Speaker Robert DeLeo said in statement following the vote. "The Commonwealth’s children deserve a comprehensive support system so they may grow to be healthier, happier and more productive adults."
The bill would require insurance carriers to review their provider directories and ensure that the information is both publicly available and accurate, targeting what Rep. Christine Barber said is a common problem of many physicians being listed as available despite having moved, retired or halted accepting new patients.
The bill would also launch a Health Policy Commission analysis of children with complex medical needs and create three regional "centers of excellence" to help boost behavioral health services for youth, and it calls for several reports, including one from the Department of Children and Families on work to improve the foster-care system.
DeLeo unveiled the legislation during a Monday briefing before queuing it up for a Wednesday vote. Lawmakers say it is the first in what will be a series of bills aimed at addressing key issues facing the state's 1.4 million children.
