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Senate Budget Day 2: Reflecting a commitment to health care

May 24, 2005 - Today, the Senate adopted several of Senator Richard T. Moore’s (D-Uxbridge) health care amendments that represent the Senate’s continuing effort to expand and improve health care access across the Commonwealth.

The Senate budget proposal demonstrates an unwavering promise to maintain the safety net of providers and health care workers who care for the uninsured, increase coverage for low-income families and children, and improve the delivery and affordability of health care services for everyone in the Commonwealth.

Moore, the Senate Chairman of the Health Care Financing Committee, was a leader in emphasizing health care, senior and children’s issues in the Senate budget session. He sponsored and won approval of several important changes for providers of health care, including:

• MassHealth Payment Protection. Stops the decline in MassHealth payments for non-acute hospitals. This provision projects no additional cost to the Commonwealth’s budget. This language maintains the current payment method and amounts, and protects non-acute hospitals from further cuts.
  
• Medicaid Waiver for Comprehensive Family Planning. Authorizes and directs the Department of Medical Assistance to seek a federal waiver for comprehensive family planning. This waiver has been issued in over 22 states, protects women's health, and generates more federal reimbursement for the Commonwealth.
  
• Immunization Program. Increases line item by $2,019,440 million to fund the purchase and distribution of the new meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) and the adolescent pertussis vaccine (Tdap), incorporating them into the universal childhood immunization program, while maintaining the adult immunization program.

Moore noted that one of his key accomplishments in this year’s budget was securing urgently needed funding for our state’s financially-strapped hospitals. “The Bay State has some of the world’s best hospitals and that the state budget must reflect our commitment to them. Hospitals in Massachusetts are not only an essential component of our world class health care system but they are an indispensable stimulus to the state's economy and workforce capacity,” he said. Working with his colleagues, the Senator was able to obtain funding for these hospitals, including three in his district. 

The Senate budget now provides one-time grants to Hubbard Regional Hospital in Webster ($600,000), Harrington Memorial Hospital in Southbridge ($511,000) and Milford Regional Medical Center ($285,000). The funding is part of the essential community provider trust for hospitals, community health providers, and other health care providers that are experiencing some form of financial distress.

Other health care items supported by Senator Moore that were included in the budget were:

• Teen Pregnancy Prevention. Increases funding by $507,357 to $2,000,000. The Department of Transitional Assistance estimates that 40% of the TADFC caseload are families begun by teen mothers. Increasing our investment in teen pregnancy prevention and services today will decrease the need for more costly services in the future.
  
• Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control. Increases funding from $3,750,000 to $4,250,000 for youth smoking prevention and tobacco control programs, including the enforcement of illegal sales to children.
  
• Medicare Part B. Reinstates reimbursement benefits for Medicare Part B premium payments starting July 2007. State retirees were required to carry Medicare Part B, but were reimbursed for the premiums as part of their retirement package. During the past budget crisis, these reimbursements were cut; this provision reinstates the benefit for the Medicare Part B premium payments for affected retirees. 

The Senate has concluded debate on the budget. A conference committee will now resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions. The committee will then send a final version of the budget to the Governor to be signed into law.

For more information visit Senator Moore’s website at www.senatormoore.com/budget.

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