Bill > H1120

This bill establishes a new chapter in Massachusetts law (Chapter 176Y) that defines and regulates Direct Primary Care (DPC), a healthcare service model where patients pay a periodic fee directly to a primary care provider for a set of agreed-upon medical services, without using traditional health insurance billing. The bill defines a "direct primary care provider" as a licensed healthcare professional who enters into a membership agreement with patients, and outlines specific requirements for these agreements. These requirements include: allowing either party to terminate the agreement without penalty (with up to 60 days notice), clearly describing the healthcare services covered, specifying the periodic fee and any additional charges, permitting third-party payments, prohibiting providers from charging extra for included services, and explicitly stating that the agreement is not health insurance and does not satisfy any federal health insurance mandates. The key innovation is creating a legal framework that recognizes and standardizes this alternative healthcare payment model, which aims to simplify healthcare transactions by removing insurance intermediaries and potentially reducing administrative costs for both providers and patients.

Business and Industry

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1120