Bill > H4334

This bill aims to increase access to nurse-midwifery services by requiring various types of health insurance plans in Massachusetts to provide equal reimbursement for services performed by certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) as they would for services performed by physicians. Specifically, the bill mandates that the Group Insurance Commission, hospital service plans, medical service plans, health maintenance organizations, and other insurers must reimburse CNMs at the same rate as physicians for equivalent services within the CNMs' authorized scope of practice. The bill ensures that these reimbursement requirements apply to both individual and group insurance plans, and explicitly prohibits insurers from reducing physician reimbursement rates to comply with the new requirements. A certified nurse-midwife is a healthcare professional who is designated by the board of registration in nursing to practice nurse-midwifery under section 80C of chapter 112, and this bill seeks to remove potential financial barriers that might discourage patients from choosing CNMs as their healthcare providers by guaranteeing payment parity with physicians.

Health and Social Services

Joint Committee on Financial Services (Joint)

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4334