(BOSTON–6/22/2026) On Thursday, Senator Feeney joined his colleagues in the Senate to overwhelmingly pass landmark legislation to invest in primary care and make it easier for Massachusetts residents to get a primary care appointment. 

The bill simplifies finding a primary care clinician, reduces the amount of time providers have to spend on administrative paperwork, and aims to reduce health care costs. 

Currently, 43 per cent of Massachusetts residents have difficulty accessing primary care. Studies show that 40 per cent of emergency room visits in Massachusetts could have been prevented if treated in a primary care setting. 

“As Massachusetts continues to face challenges related to health care access and affordability, we know that strengthening primary care is one of the most effective ways to improve health outcomes for patients while reducing overall health care costs. With the Senate’s passage of legislation to increase investment in primary care, more fairly compensate the smaller health centers our communities depend on, and leverage matching federal funds to strengthen the primary care workforce, we are sending a clear message in the Senate that patients must always come first. Not only do Massachusetts residents deserve a more accessible, affordable and compassionate system of care, but the Commonwealth also needs pathways to reduce spending without losing progress on quality and innovation. By expanding access to timely, preventive care and supporting the providers who deliver it, this legislation advances both goals and helps ensure patients can receive high-quality care close to home from the doctors and health care professionals they trust,” said Senator Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough). 

The legislation—S.3116, An Act relative to primary care for you—requires health care providers and insurers to invest more heavily in primary care services. Additionally, it ensures fairer compensation for community health centers, which serve as the frontline of primary care for many residents, and grows Massachusetts’ primary care workforce by unlocking matching federal funds to train and recruit more primary care doctors. 

This key health policy bill would create a more robust health care system in Massachusetts by requiring providers and insurers to invest a certain level of their annual spending on primary care services. 

In recent years, investment has surged in profitable ‘specialty care’ areas while only 6.7 per cent of total health care spending in Massachusetts has been on primary care. The resulting scarcity of available primary care doctors has left many residents searching for crucial basic, preventive care. 

Health care entities would now have to meet a new mandated level of primary care investment which would gradually step up to 15 per cent. The requirements would be overseen and enforced by the Health Policy Commission (HPC). 

The bill also lifts up one of the main settings where many Massachusetts residents access their primary care—community health centers (CHCs), which have been disadvantaged by receiving lower reimbursements than other providers. This legislation calls for fairness and sets dependable rates for CHCs by requiring commercial insurers to reimburse at least the same rates that MassHealth reimburses for the same services. 

The Senate’s proposal also doubles down on recent efforts to grow the size of the primary care workforce in Massachusetts. It would re-establish a Medicaid graduate medical education (GME) program, which the state can use to take advantage of matching federal funds to help cover the costs of fellowships and residency programs. When fully scaled up, the program would fund dozens of positions and help draw more primary care providers to Massachusetts in community-based settings. 

This builds on a Senate-led initiative that was signed into law earlier this month to address the shortage of primary care doctors by funding scholarships for UMass Chan Medical School students who pursue family medicine and pledge to practice in underserved communities in Massachusetts after they graduate. 

Full details of today’s legislation are included in a fact sheet in the Senate press room. 

Senators proposed 72 amendments to the bill. During the course of the public debate, the Senate adopted a significant amendment to ensure access to timely and effective treatment for people with serious mental illness. The amendment (Amendment 64) eliminates prior authorization for medication to treat serious mental illness, keeping decisions between providers and patients. 

People with serious mental illness often have to try multiple combinations of medications in an effort to find the right treatment. Delays due to prior authorization can impede their ability to effectively treat their disease. Feedback on that amendment was solicited last year at a public hearing by the Joint Committee on Financial Services. It was also recommended by the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and was further reviewed by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. 

The Committee on Ways and Means advanced the underlying legislation to the Senate with a 14-0 vote on June 11, 2026, as a new draft of legislation previously advanced by the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing. 

The Senate passed the bill on a 35-4 roll call vote and sent it to the House of Representatives for further review. 

Statements of Support 

Jen Lemmerman, Executive Director, Health Care For All 

“This legislation will help patients access more timely, affordable care—an urgent need made more acute as federal actions continue to erode an already strained health care system. For years, we’ve heard from people on our HelpLine struggling to find a primary care provider or get an appointment when they need one. We commend the Senate for advancing this vital legislation and we look forward to working with the House and the Governor to help make it law as soon as possible.” 

David Seltz, Executive Director, Health Policy Commission; Co-Chair, Primary Care Task Force 

“We know that access to primary care improves health outcomes, reduces health disparities, and saves health care dollars, yet too many patients in Massachusetts cannot easily access the primary care they need, and clinicians are burnt out and leaving the field, posing a crisis for our health care system. The Commonwealth has been a long-time national leader in health care, and the state can be a trailblazer once again by enacting comprehensive legislation to strengthen and stabilize our primary care system. The Governor issued a call to action on primary care in the State of the Commonwealth address, and the Massachusetts Primary Care Access, Payment, and Delivery Task Force has subsequently released a set of recommendations and principles to achieve the goal of accessible and affordable primary care for all residents. Today, the Senate is taking action to bring that vision one step closer to reality. The Health Policy Commission looks forward to partnering with our colleagues to achieve that future.” 

Christina Severin, President and CEO, Community Care Cooperative (C3) 

“Community health centers play a critical role in keeping our communities healthy. This legislation recognizes that fact and commits to increasing primary care spending and making sure health centers are fairly reimbursed for the essential services they provide. It’s a long-overdue investment in making sure every resident—no matter their income, language, or zip code — can get the care they need to stay healthy.” 

Dr. Wayne Altman, Professor, UMass Chan Medical School; President-Elect, Massachusetts Academy of Family Physicians; Founder, Massachusetts Primary Care Alliance for Patients (MAPCAP); President, Family Practice Group, The Sagov Center for Family Medicine 

“The entire country is watching Massachusetts and this primary care bill. This is the most effective state legislation put forward to address the primary care crisis to date. This has the potential to be a national model in the same way that Chapter 58 became a national model for the ACA. The bill is good for hospitals, good for emergency departments, good for specialists, good for folks who need access to high-quality mental health care, and most importantly, good for the people of Massachusetts.” 

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