Four new laws that will cause everyone’s health insurance in Massachusetts to be more expensive.

More mandated coverage that most people don’t need

Passed into law through corrupt “informal sessions” in the Mass. Legislature

March 29, 2025

Years ago, health insurance in Massachusetts covered the basic things that people wanted. A decent family plan was a few hundred dollars per month. If you wanted specialized coverage, you could buy it.

Then the Massachusetts Legislature started adding coverage mandates. They mandated that all insurance policies cover AIDS and a range of other LGBT diseases. Every policy now must be covered for pregnancy and related issues (even if the couple is beyond child birthing age). The legislature continues to add more mandates. So the cost of insurance has skyrocketed. It’s not uncommon for a family policy to cost over $3,000 per month.

1. Mandated coverage for drug addiction treatments

On December 19, 2024 the Massachusetts House and Senate both met in unconstitutional “informal sessions” (5 House members out of 160, and 7 Senators out of 40) to pass bill H5143 into law. (An earlier version of this bill was voted forward on July 30 by only one member of the Senate!)

The opioid drug abuse crisis in the state is certainly tragic. But this law aims to help fix it by forcing everyone’s health insurance to cover the array of drug abuse treatments, whether they want the coverage or not. As a result, everyone’s health insurance premiums will go up. 

All health insurance plans are now required to cover the (likely extravagant) costs of:

• “Overdose reversal” drugs and “emergency opioid” drugs – not requiring co-pays or prior authorization.
• “Pain management services,” including non-opioid alternatives to pain treatment.
• “Coaching services” to help people struggling with addiction – not requiring co-pays or prior authorization.

Life insurance companies also may not limit or refuse coverage due to an applicant’s drug treatment history. (This mandate will, of course, raise the price of life insurance for everyone.) 

Other mandates in this law:

• Doctors are now required to go through additional training for “appropriate non-opioid alternatives.”
• Pharmacies are now required to stock a supply of over-the-counter “overdose reversal” drugs. Pharmacists must distribute printed materials from the Department of Public Health on opioid alternatives. 

Idiotic, woke terminology. The bill includes a section describing “support for pregnant people.” As we’ve reported earlier, the terms “pregnant women” and “mother” has been cleansed from the Massachusetts statutes by our woke politicians – both Republican and Democrat.

2. Mandated coverage for Down syndrome therapy and treatment

On Dec. 30, 2024 – two days before the end of the session, just two House members and four Senators met and passed bill S2970 into law.

This new law focuses on people with Down syndrome. It requires all health insurance plans to cover speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy for Down syndrome individuals. In addition, it requires full coverage of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) services for them. One of the bill sponsors told State House News, "The average course of treatment for just ABA services includes between 10 and 20 hours per week, for a total across about 12 months, costing roughly $120 an hour."

Most of us know people with Down syndrome and we are sympathetic to their challenges. But is it right to mandate that all working people be required to buy coverage for this?

3. Mandated coverage for extensive breast cancer diagnostics

On Oct. 30 and Nov. 4, just six House members and three Senators met and passed H4918 into law. It requires everyone’s health insurance plan to cover an extensive range of breast cancer diagnostic exams. This includes 3D mammography, digital breast tomosynthesis screening, MRIs, and ultrasounds. There will be no deductibles or co-payments by the patient.

4. Mandated coverage to pay for drugs for certain chronic illnesses

On Dec. 30, just two House members and four Senators met and passed bill S3012 into law. It requires all health insurance plans to cover the costs of drugs for certain chronic illnesses – diabetes, asthma, and two specific heart conditions. The name-brand drugs to treat those conditions (including insulin for diabetes) will cost patients no more than $25 per prescription refill, while the generic versions will cost them nothing.

Are these laws a good idea or not? Is it fair to make people pay for coverage they may not want or ever use? There was no debate in either of the House or Senate “informal sessions” on these bills. And of course, there was no roll call vote. Probably, few members of the Massachusetts legislature read these bills – or even know (or care) that they were passed.

Is this what we’re electing our legislators to do?