Massachusetts legislation · 194th General Court
Massachusetts H4894: An Act to further define medical necessity determinations
Status: In committee, July 31, 2026
What the bill says
From the introduced text, January 8, 2026:
SECTION 1. Chapter 32A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 17Z the following section:- Section 17AA. For the purposes of this section the following terms shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings: “Mental health acute treatment”, 24-hour medically supervised mental health services provided in an inpatient facility, licensed by the department of mental health, that provides psychiatric evaluation, management, treatment and discharge planning in a structured treatment milieu. “Mental health crisis stabilization services”, 24-hour clinically managed mental health diversionary or step-down services for adults or adolescents, as defined by MassHealth, usually provided as an alternative to mental health acute treatment or following mental health acute treatment, which may include intensive crisis stabilization counseling, outreach to families and significant others and aftercare planning. “Community-based acute treatment (CBAT)”, 24-hour clinically managed mental health diversionary or step-down services for children and adolescents, as defined by the department of early education and care, usually provided as an alternative to mental health acute treatment. “Intensive community-based acute treatment (ICBAT)”, intensive 24-hour clinically managed mental health diversionary or step-down services for children and adolescents, as defined by the department of early education and care, usually provided as an alternative to mental health acute treatment. The commission shall provide to any active or retired employee of the commonwealth …
Sponsors
- Services, Joint Committee on Financial (I) · primary sponsor
- Michael Kushmerek (D, 3rd Worcester)
- John Velis (D, Hampden and Hampshire)
Latest actions
- : Committee recommended bill ought to pass and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means
- : Reporting date extended to Thursday, December 31, 2026
- : Reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Health Care Financing
- : New draft of H1229
- : Reported from the committee on Financial Services
Votes
- Committee Vote - Joint Committee on Health Care Financing (July 16, 2026): 13 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Committee Vote - Joint Committee on Financial Services (December 8, 2025): 11 yea, 0 nay, passed
Common questions
- What is H4894?
- H4894 is a bill in the Massachusetts Legislature (194th General Court): An Act to further define medical necessity determinations.
- What is the status of H4894?
- In committee as of July 31, 2026. Latest action: Committee recommended bill ought to pass and referred to the committee on House Ways and Means (July 31, 2026).
- Who sponsored H4894?
- Services, Joint Committee on Financial (I), with 2 co-sponsors.
- Where is the official record for H4894?
- On the Massachusetts Legislature website: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4894
Source: official Massachusetts record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.