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Sen. Keenan proposes longer notice, public hearings and a state health plan to limit disruptive hospital closures
Summary
Senate Bill 873 would lengthen notice periods for hospital closures and discontinuation of essential services, require public hearings and create a health planning council to develop a biennial state health plan. Senator Keenan cited Quincy Medical Center and the Steward experience as motivating examples.
Senator John Keenan told the Joint Committee on Healthcare Finance that a bill he filed, Senate Bill 873, would strengthen notice, public‑engagement and planning requirements when hospitals propose to close or discontinue essential services.
Under the bill, hospitals would provide 180‑day notice — longer than existing statutory notice periods — for closures and for discontinuing essential services; public hearings and question‑and‑answer opportunities with hospital leadership would be required. The measure would also establish a health planning council charged with producing a biennial State Health Plan to inform decisions about service location and access.
Why it matters: Witnesses and sponsors said the Steward Health Care bankruptcy and other recent rapid closures — for example the Quincy Medical Center transition and later closure under Steward — highlighted the limited opportunities communities have had to engage and plan when providers exit the market.
Senator Keenan framed the bill as modest and complementary to recent market‑review reforms that restrict certain private equity activity, noting the bill borrows elements from Minnesota law and is targeted at protecting community access and giving regulators and residents time to respond to proposed closures.
Next steps
Senator Keenan asked the committee for a favorable report and invited questions; no committee action occurred at the hearing.
