Photo: Emma Friedman/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Health leaders in Boston rallied at the State House to show support of a health equity bill Tuesday.
The bill, An Act to Advance Health Equity, aims to drive policy changes that ensure accessible and affordable health coverage to all Massachusetts residents, especially to communities of color.
“It’s unacceptable that you could get on a train a few feet from here and take a ride three, four stops and live 23 years less,” Michael Curry, the president of Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, told WBZ NewsRadio.
According to a Department of Public Health maternal morbidity survey, African-American mothers in the Commonwealth are 2.5 times more likely to experience serious health problems during birth.
This bill was refiled to include new provisions for the 2025 - 2026 legislative session. Curry testified in support of the updated bill in front of a joint committee on health care financing hearing Tuesday.
“We urge you to report this bill out favorably so that Massachusetts can once again lead, protect progress, and ensure the health and wellbeing of our communities,” he said during the meeting.
The new provisions include establishing a temporary legislative commission to make sure goals are being met; reimbursing community health workers, patient navigation, and interpreters; and requiring MassHealth to provide education funds.
Health leaders said the measurements are needed more than ever as federal funding cuts are impacting the health industry.
Rahsaan Hall, president and CEO of Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts, said that the turnout of the rally emphasized the importance of this issue.
“This gathering of leaders of color in the health industry that came together to say 'we know what is best for our community',” he said.
WBZ NewsRadio's Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.