SENATE DOCKET, NO. 99        FILED ON: 1/11/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 600

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Michael J. Barrett

_________________

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 bill:

An Act to promote health equity.

_______________

PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 99        FILED ON: 1/11/2017

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 600

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninetieth General Court
(2017-2018)

_______________

An Act to promote health equity.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Section 16 of chapter 6A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in line 38, the words “and (7)” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- “(7) the office of health equity; and (8)”.

SECTION 2. Subsection (a) of section 16O of said chapter 6A, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the second sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:-

The council shall make recommendations to the director of the office of health equity to reduce and eliminate disparities in access to quality health care and health outcomes based on race or ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, age, mental health, cognitive, sensory, or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, geographic location, or any other characteristic historically linked to discrimination or exclusion.

SECTION 3. Said section 16O of said chapter 6A, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting after the word “officio”, in line 27, the following words:- “; the director of the office of health equity or a designee”.

SECTION 4. Said chapter 6A is hereby further amended by adding the following section:-

Section 16Z. (a) As used in this section the following words shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

“Health disparities”, differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions, differences in the access to or receipt of health care or both such differences that disproportionately affect individuals based on race or ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, age, mental health, cognitive, sensory, or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, geographic location, or any other characteristic historically linked to discrimination or exclusion.

“Office”, the office of health equity.

(b) There shall be an office of health equity within the executive office of health and human services. The office shall be in the charge of a director, who shall report directly to the secretary of health and human services. The health disparities council, established in section 16O, shall serve as an advisory board to the office of health equity.

(c) The office, subject to appropriation, shall coordinate all activities of the commonwealth to eliminate health disparities. The office shall work to reduce health disparities and prepare an annual plan to eliminate health disparities.

(d) The office, subject to appropriation, shall collaborate with other state agencies on health disparities reduction initiatives to address the social and economic factors that influence health inequality. The office shall also consider and make recommendations regarding individuals that experience the highest levels of disparity in health and health care based on race or ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, age, mental health, cognitive, sensory, or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, geographic location, or any other characteristic historically linked to discrimination or exclusion. The state agencies shall include, but not be limited to, the executive office of health and human services, the executive office of housing and economic development, the executive office of public safety and security, the executive office of energy and environmental affairs, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the executive office of labor and workforce development and the executive office of education. The office shall facilitate communication and partnership between state agencies to develop a greater understanding of the intersection between agency activities and health outcomes. The office shall facilitate the development of interagency initiatives to address the social and economic determinants of health and health disparity issues including, but not limited to: (i) healthcare access and quality; (ii) housing availability and quality; (iii) transportation availability, location and cost; (iv) community policing and safe spaces; (v) air, water and land usage and quality; (vi) employment and workforce development; and (vii) education access and quality.

(e) The office, subject to appropriation, shall evaluate the effectiveness of programs and interventions to eliminate health disparities and identify best practices and model programs.

(f) The office, subject to appropriation, shall prepare an annual health disparity report card. The report card shall evaluate the progress of the commonwealth toward eliminating health disparities and, whenever possible, use quantifiable measures and comparative benchmarks. The report card shall report on progress on a state and regional basis, based on regions determined by the office. The office shall hold public hearings in each determined region to receive public information on the topics of the report card. Not later than July 1 of each year, the report card shall be delivered to the governor and the members of the health disparities council, established under section 16O, posted on the website of the office and filed with the clerks of the senate and house of representatives. 

SECTION 5. Subsection (g) of section 8 of chapter 6D of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2014 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after the second sentence the following sentence:-

The commission shall establish goals to reduce health care disparities based on race or ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, age, mental health, cognitive, sensory, or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, geographic location, or any other characteristic historically linked to discrimination or exclusion, and shall seek to incorporate the recommendations of the health disparities council and the office of health equity created in section 16Z of chapter 6A.