Warm Greetings!
For the next several days, we will be experiencing extreme cold weather conditions. There are many dangers to person and home to watch out for when temperatures drop this low. Towns and cities across the Commonwealth have opened Warming Centers or shelters to help keep our community members safe. When venturing outside even for a bit, don’t forget your hats and mittens to keep your outsides warm; and here are some yummy winter soup recipes to warm up your insides.
Topics for this week’s Health Announce:
- HCWG today!
- 6668 bills docketed by last Friday’s deadline for this session.
- Slew of Executive Orders from the new Administration – some already subject to challenge.
Be well,
Jennifer Hotchkiss Kaplan
Senior Health Law Attorney
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
1. HCWG today!
Reminder – this’s month’s Health Care Workgroup meeting is today, Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 3 pm. A reminder email went out last Thursday. Topics on today’s agenda include: (1) Health and MassHealth-related bills folks have filed or are supporting; (2) What’s coming with the State’s fiscal year 2026 budget; and (3) MassHealth-related updates.
2. 6668 bills docketed by last Friday’s deadline for this session.
Under the rules of the Massachusetts Legislature, bills must be filed by the third Friday of January, which was last Friday, January 17, 2025. This year, 6668 bills were filed. In addition to traditional key word searches, the House’s website permits you to search for bills by legislative or agency/department sponsor. Some of the bills we will be following (and discussing at today’s HCWG meeting!) include:
HD.2860 / SD.1659 – An Act to Improve Continuity of Care for MassHealth Members with Chronic Conditions, sponsored by Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and Sen. Brendan Crighton.
HD.1002 / SD.1746 – An Act Relative to Asset Limits for MassHealth, sponsored by Rep. Michael Kushmerek and Sen. Robyn Kennedy.
HD.3404 / SD.1920 – An Act to Protect Qualified Medicare Beneficiaries from Improper Billing, sponsored by Rep. Steven Ultrino and Sen. Jason Lewis.
3. Slew of Executive Orders from the new Administration – some already subject to challenge.
Within hours of being sworn in as the 47th president, the new administration issued a slew of Executive Orders, along with a flurry of proclamations and other presidential directives. A full list of Presidential Actions can be found here. After an Executive Order is signed, the White House delivers the document to the Office of the Federal Register, which will then post it on the Presidential Documents page. You can also find the full text of any revoked Executive Orders.
One of the first Executive Orders signed yesterday, “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship,” purports to end birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented mothers. At least two lawsuits have been filed in New England challenging the constitutionality of this action. Lawyers for Civil Rights filed in federal court in Massachusetts, and the American Civil Liberties Union along with several other organizations filed in federal court in New Hampshire.
Notably, Lawyers for Civil Rights has launched the Immigrant Defense Hotline at 617-988-0606 for access to timely and free legal advice for immigrants facing imminent threats from immigration enforcement, raids, or mass deportations.
