HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1793        FILED ON: 1/20/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1523

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Jeffrey Sánchez

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying resolve:

Resolve providing for an investigation and study by a special commission relative to reducing the wait time for medical equipment for children with special health care needs.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1793        FILED ON: 1/20/2011

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1523

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand Eleven

_______________

Resolve providing for an investigation and study by a special commission relative to reducing the wait time for medical equipment for children with special health care needs.

Resolved, There shall be a commission to investigate and study  the process by which children with special health care needs are provided durable medical equipment including, but not limited to, wheelchairs and lifts and to make recommendations relative to reducing barriers that such children and their families experience in procuring medically necessary and physician-prescribed equipment in a timely manner. The commission shall be known as "the commission to reduce wait time for children with special health care needs to receive needed medical equipment".  The commission shall be chaired by the commissioner of public health and the commissioner of the division of medical assistance and shall consist of the president of the senate or a designee thereof,  the minority leader of the senate or a designee thereof, the speaker of the house of representatives or a designee thereof, the minority leader of the house of representatives or a designee thereof,  the house and senate chairpersons of the joint committee on health care financing or their designees, a parent of a child with special health care needs who shall be appointed by the governor, a licensed physician who treats children with special health care needs who shall be appointed by the governor, a designee of Children's Hospital Boston, a designee of the Disability Law Center and a designee of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans.

The commission shall make recommendations for fair and suitable guidelines for private health insurers, the state Medicaid program and vendors to promptly process prescriptions for durable medical equipment for children with special health care needs.

The commission shall report its findings to the clerk of the senate, the clerk of the house of representatives and the house and senate committees on ways and means not later than December 31, 2012.