Bill > S766

This bill establishes the Massachusetts Health Care Trust, a single-payer healthcare system that would provide comprehensive, high-quality, and affordable healthcare coverage for all Massachusetts residents. The key provisions include: - Creating the Massachusetts Health Care Trust, a public instrumentality responsible for collecting and disbursing funds to provide healthcare services for all residents, without any patient cost-sharing. - Establishing a Board of Trustees with 29 members, including government officials, appointed members, and 8 elected citizen trustees, to govern the Trust. - Empowering the Trust to set policy, negotiate provider rates, establish a capital expenditure budget, and oversee the administration, planning, information technology, and quality assurance of the healthcare system. - Defining the eligible participants as all Massachusetts residents, as well as non-residents who work in the state, and requiring the Trust to provide wraparound coverage for federal healthcare programs. - Specifying the covered benefits, which include a wide range of medical, dental, vision, and long-term care services, with no deductibles, co-payments, or other cost-sharing. - Establishing the Health Care Trust Fund, which would be funded by dedicated payroll taxes on employers and employees, as well as a tax on unearned income, to replace current spending on insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. - Implementing a transition period of 1-18 months to establish the Trust's infrastructure, hire staff, negotiate reimbursement rates, and educate the public about the new healthcare system.

Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S766