HOW I VOTED ON H.5613 &S.3141

HOW I VOTED ON H.5613

SUBJECT: ALZHEIMER'S AND DEMENTIA CARE

On Wednesday, July 29, 2026, the House passed legislation to strengthen dementia care, improve support for families and caregivers, expand workforce training, and enhance public health efforts to address Alzheimer's disease and other dementias across the Commonwealth. The bill takes a comprehensive approach to improving care for individuals living with dementia while equipping health care providers, first responders, hospitals, and state agencies with the tools and resources needed to better serve patients.

MY VOTE

This bill was approved by the House by a unanimous, bipartisan vote of 155 YES, 0 NO. I voted YES.

SUMMARY

The legislation establishes mandatory dementia training programs for municipal and state law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel. Developed by the Municipal Police Training Committee, the Massachusetts Fire Training Council, the Department of Public Health (DPH), the Colonel of the State Police, and the Executive Office of Aging and Independence in consultation with Alzheimer's organizations and other stakeholders, the training will require at least two hours of initial instruction followed by biennial continuing education.

The bill expands notification requirements so that families or legal representatives are informed of an initial diagnosis of any dementia—not solely Alzheimer's disease—and establishes a new MassHealth dementia care coordination benefit for eligible members

enrolled in Senior Care Options and One Care plans, providing support for both individuals living with dementia and their caregivers.

The legislation also enhances protections for patients and families by requiring acute

care hospitals to allow medically appropriate visitation for patients living with

Alzheimer's disease or other dementias, as well as those exhibiting symptoms of

cognitive impairment. Hospitals will also be required to notify designated family

members, caregivers, or legal representatives promptly following admission and before

discharge, ensuring loved ones remain engaged in care planning.

To improve care in hospital settings, the legislation codifies requirements that hospitals

maintain and implement dementia operational plans addressing staff training, patient

recognition and management, dementia-friendly environments, caregiver communication, discharge planning, and care coordination. Hospitals will be required to update these plans every five years, submit them to DPH, and make them publicly available.

To strengthen the health care workforce, the legislation expands the state's Health Care Workforce Loan Repayment Program to provide loan repayment assistance for professionals specializing in geriatrics and geriatric psychiatry, helping recruit and retain clinicians with expertise in caring for older adults.

The bill also creates a Director of Dementia Care and Coordination within the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to oversee implementation of the state's Alzheimer's disease plan, coordinate public awareness initiatives, support hospital dementia preparedness, pursue grant opportunities, review training requirements, and improve statewide data collection related to Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

In addition, the bill directs DPH to expand public awareness efforts on brain health and dementia through culturally relevant education campaigns, strengthen statewide data collection on cognitive decline and caregiving, and regularly report on implementation of the CDC's Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map.

NEXT STEPS

The bill passed the House of Representatives 155-0 and now goes to the Senate for

consideration.

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HELPFUL LINKS

1. Bill Tracker: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5613

HOW I VOTED ON S.3141

SUBJECT: PRIMARY CARE AND HEALTH CARE AFFORDABILITY BILL

On Thursday, July 30, 2026 the House passed legislation that expands access to primary care, shifts the health care system toward prevention, invests in the health care

workforce, supports hospitals and community health centers, improves affordability by

lowering prescription drug costs, and increasing accountability across the health care

system.

MY VOTE

This bill was approved by the House by a unanimous, bipartisan vote of 158 YES, 0 NO.

I voted YES.

SUMMARY

Recognizing that access to care depends on having enough health care professionals, the bill invests $25 million to the Health Care Workforce Transformation Fund, providing direct funding for scholarships, student loan repayment, primary care career pathways, and workforce recruitment and retention. Prioritizing equity and promoting culturally- responsive care, the legislation provides competitive grants that encourage innovative care models through partnerships between colleges, vocational schools, hospitals, behavioral health providers, community health centers, and nonprofit organizations to strengthen the primary care workforce.

Expanding the allowable uses of the Commonwealth Federal Matching and Debt Reduction Fund to help the commonwealth respond to an estimated $3.5 billion loss of federal funding, this bill strengthens the Health Safety Net and helps to stabilize hospitals our most vulnerable. Further, the legislation improves reimbursement for federally qualified community health centers by requiring commercial insurers to pay no less than MassHealth rates for the same services, reducing longstanding underpayment and strengthening access to health care in underserved communities.

Transforming Primary Care through Increased Investment

The bill establishes statewide primary care investment targets that gradually increase spending to 9% by 2030, 12% by 2033 and 15% by 2036.

It also:

• Creates an advanced primary care payment model and standards within DOI to

  support preventive care, continuity of care, and improved patient outcomes;

• Strengthens oversight by the Health Policy Commission to ensure increased

  investment improves access without increasing overall health care costs or

  insurance premiums;

• Requires carriers to adopt and offer a primary care payment model to primary

  care providers and practices; and

• Links progress on the statewide primary care target to the existing cost growth

  benchmark and authorizes the Health Policy Commission (HPC) to mandate

  certain health care entities to file and implement a primary care commitment to

  improve efficiency, increase primary care investment, and control health care

  costs.

  
  

Expanding Access to Community-Based Health Care

The legislation expands access to health care by strengthening community-based providers and allowing more patients to receive care where they live.

The bill:

• Requires health insurers to cover mobile integrated health services, allowing

  patients to receive care in their homes and communities for chronic disease

  management, preventive care, and post-hospital follow-up;

• Creates an expedited determination of need process for hospitals serving the

  commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents to expand access to primary care,

  behavioral health, and maternal health services in communities with unmet

  health care needs, allowing qualifying projects to receive priority review and

  decisions within 60 days; and

• Improves reimbursement for federally qualified community health centers by

  requiring commercial insurers to pay no less than MassHealth rates for the same

  services, reducing longstanding underpayment and strengthening access in

  underserved communities.

  
  

Lowering Prescription Drug Costs

The bill also directly helps patients at the pharmacy counter, ensuring that the patient

gets the full benefit of prescription drug rebates negotiated for them on their behalf at

the point of sale. The bill also strengthens the oversight of PBMs:

• Reduces out-of-pocket prescription drug costs by requiring most manufacturer

  rebates to be applied at the pharmacy counter;

• Ensures patient payments count toward deductibles and out-of-pocket

  maximums, including payments made on a patient's behalf, consistent with federal law;

• Strengthens oversight of PBMs by expanding regulation to affiliated entities

  within vertically integrated organizations; and

• Improves accountability by requiring annual compliance reporting to DOI and

  authorizing enforcement for violations.

  
  

Ensuring Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The bill establishes safeguards for AI in health insurance utilization review to ensure

technology supports, not replaces, clinical decision-making. Specifically, the bill:

• Establishes statutory definitions for AI and automated utilization review tools to

  reduce the administrative burden on providers;

• Requires carriers and utilization review organizations to disclose their use of automated utilization review tools to both providers and the public, and to identify

  when such a tool was used in connection with an adverse determination; and

• Authorizes DOI to promulgate regulations, oversee compliance, and enforce

  protections.

  
  

NEXT STEPS

The bill passed the House of Representatives 158-0 and goes back to the Senate for

further consideration.

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HELPFUL LINKS

Bill Tracker: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S3141