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The following was submitted by the Office of Sen. Jason Lewis:
State Sens. Jason Lewis and Pat Jehlen and state Reps. Michael Day and Michelle Ciccolo joined their colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature to enact a supplemental budget bill that directs $234 million toward fiscally-strained hospitals and community health centers, prioritizing care for the state’s most vulnerable populations.
The legislation addresses a widening funding gap in the Health Safety Net program, which reimburses acute care hospitals and community health centers for necessary medical care for low-income, uninsured, and underinsured Massachusetts residents.
Reckless federal policies and funding shortfalls have worsened the fiscal strain on these institutions, but this funding provides critical relief to hospitals and community health centers, distributing aid based on criteria that directs funding to vulnerable populations most in need of assistance.
“While chaotic policies from the Trump administration put our American public health system at risk, Massachusetts stands firm in our support of science-based health policy and our financial support of hospitals and community health centers,” said Lewis. “This funding will provide critical services to those who need it the most as rising healthcare costs continue to strain our communities and healthcare institutions.”
“This funding is critical to ensuring that financially strained hospitals and community health centers can continue delivering care to patients across Massachusetts,” said Day. “Amid ongoing fiscal uncertainty and harmful actions by the Trump Administration—actions that have exacerbated the major challenges already facing our healthcare system—we in Massachusetts remain committed to providing targeted support needed so that all of our residents have access to basic health care services.”
“The Commonwealth is proud of and committed to providing the highest quality healthcare to our residents,” said Ciccolo. “Through this legislation, I am glad we were able to support our hospitals. My sincerest thanks to leadership and to all of those who worked quickly to address this problem.”
The bill allocates $199 million for eligible high public payer acute care hospitals across the Commonwealth through an approach that maximizes federal financial reimbursements, stabilizes the Health Safety Net Trust Fund and makes targeted payments to hospitals to maximize the impact of taxpayer dollars.
An additional $35 million supports community health centers, which continue to support the Commonwealth’s vulnerable populations while facing federal funding delays, Medicaid cuts, and rising pharmaceutical and other medical costs.
Gov. Maura Healey signed this bill into law on Sept. 22, 2025 following its approval in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
