BOSTON (WHDH) - Gov. Charlie Baker on Friday signed a new health care law that increases insurance coverage for telehealth services, expands the scope of practice for nurse practitioners, other specialized nurses, and optometrists, and takes steps to protect consumers from surprise medical bills.
The Baker administration said the law also extends requirements for all insurance carriers in Massachusetts to cover COVID-19 testing and treatment.
The legislation contains several priorities initially included in the administration’s health care legislation, which was introduced in the fall of 2019.
The key provisions of the new law include:
- Requiring coverage of telehealth services including behavioral health care
- Expanding Scope of Practice for Advanced Practice Nurses and Optometrists
- Increasing disclosures around provider costs and network status to protect consumers from surprise medical bills
- Removing barriers to urgent care centers for MassHealth members
- Extending insurance coverage and access to COVID-19 testing and treatment
- Directing a study and report of the impacts of COVID-19 on the health care system
In a statement, Baker said, “Massachusetts has long been a leader in ensuring health care quality and access and with this new law, we are making further progress in building a strong, accessible and affordable health care system, a goal that is more important now than ever. I am proud to sign this legislation which promotes telehealth services that have become vital during this pandemic, expands access to high-quality, affordable care, takes steps to protect consumers from surprise medical bills, and preserves access to COVID-19 testing and treatment. We look forward to working with our partners in the Legislature and the health care community to build on these reforms in the future.”
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