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House advances supplemental health funding bill to aid hospitals, community health centers
Summary
The Massachusetts House voted 148-1 to pass to be engrossed a supplemental appropriations bill aimed at stabilizing hospitals, community health centers and the Health Safety Net amid federal funding cuts. Representative Lawn of Watertown outlined funding targets and warned of growing deficits.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives on Thursday passed to be engrossed House Bill 45 30, a supplemental appropriations measure to provide emergency funding for hospitals, community health centers and the state Health Safety Net; the bill advanced on a roll call vote of 148 in the affirmative and 1 in the negative.
Representative Lawn of Watertown, speaking in support of the measure, framed it as a response to federal funding reductions and said the bill would provide immediate relief to the health safety net and providers. "This bill takes action that reflects the values of this General Court," Lawn said, urging colleagues to vote yes.
The bill was reported out of the Committee on Ways and Means with a recommendation that it ought to pass and was scheduled for consideration by the House by the Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling. Members first voted to suspend Rule 7A to allow expedited consideration; Representative Lawn moved the suspension. Following a second and third-reading sequence, the House ordered the bill to a third reading and later passed it to be engrossed by roll call.
In floor remarks, Lawn gave a detailed breakdown he said was included in the measure: a total investment he described as $234,000,000, including $122,000,000 targeted for fiscally strained acute-care hospitals, $35,000,000 for community health centers, $2,500,000 for the Mass League of Community Health Centers to strengthen operations statewide, and $77,000,000 to the state's Health Safety Net. Lawn characterized the $77 million transfer as an "immediate lifeline" to keep doors open for uninsured and underinsured patients.
Lawn cited past and projected shortfalls for the Health Safety Net, saying the deficit was $152,000,000 in 2023, $198,000,000 in 2014, and that in fiscal 2025 the shortfall "will exceed $300,000,000." He described the investments as temporary and said more work would be required going forward.
The record shows an earlier Committee on Ways and Means report that described House No. 45 30 and related messages from the governor; that committee report also referenced a total appropriation amount of $157,000,000 in its recommendation for a related appropriations bill (House No. 4003 was reported earlier with a $157,000,000 figure). The House transcript records both the committee report language and Lawn's floor presentation; the House proceeded to a roll call (recorded as roll call number 73) and the clerk displayed a final tally of 148-1 in favor, after which the bill was passed to be engrossed.
Discussion: Representative Lawn and members emphasized preventing service reductions, supporting the workforce and protecting access to care amid federal funding cuts. Direction: members approved suspending rules to advance the bill and ordered it to third reading. Decision: on the roll call the House passed the bill to be engrossed, 148-1.
The bill now moves to the engrossing process; the transcript does not state further steps or a final enrollment date.
