Health Care
► Health Care Reform Law - Health care is a crucial issue for many residents. Senator Brown believes that the Legislature must be proactive in order to keep health care affordable. Senator Brown has co-sponsored over 35 bills that deal directly with the myriad of health care issues currently facing the Commonwealth. The legislation covers issues ranging from protecting patients safety, improving access to quality health care, nurse staffing issues, elder care issues, medical malpractice lawsuits, to providing financial assistance and support to public health and research. For more information about the Health Care reform law passed in 2006 click here.
► Making Health Care More Affordable - Senator Brown supports legislation establishing a tax credit for seniors’ prescription costs and a tax credit of up to $1500 per year to help seniors with costs of prescriptions. Senator Brown also cosponsored legislation to allow health plans to set higher deductibles and therefore offer health saving accounts.
► Umbilical Cord Blood/Placenta Issue Bank - Senator Brown sponsored an amendment to the stem cell bill that passed unanimously. This measure would allow new mothers to donate umbilical cord blood and placental tissue for use as a source of stem cells for biotechnological research via a “bank” established at the UMass Medical Center. Cord blood and placental tissue offer an alternative to embryonic stem cells.
► Medical Malpractice - Senator Brown sponsored "3 strikes" legislation to crack down on dangerous doctors and was appointed to a task force on medical malpractice. The rising cost of healthcare, due in part to the increase in medical malpractice insurance coverage is being felt by everyone, not just doctors.
► Elder Care Safety - Senator Brown cosponsored a number of measures to ensure that our senior citizens are living in a safe, healthy environment. One measure establishes a personal care attendant registry to facilitate background checks and keep track of those individuals who provide home care assistance. Another piece of legislation codifies procedures for Dept. of Public Health investigations of allegations of abuse, neglect, mistreatment of residents or misappropriation of a resident’s belongings in an assisted living facility. The bill also creates a fund specifically for DPH inspections of long-term care facilities.
Senator Brown also filed a bill to require background checks for assisted living facility patients after an incident when a convicted sex offender who was living in an assisted living facility sexually assaulted another resident. The facility was unaware that the man was a sex offender because the facility had not conducted a background check on the resident.
► Support for Family Elder Care Givers - Senator Brown supports legislation to allow family members to receive tax assistance to offset the cost of caring for an elderly relative at home. Currently family members cannot qualify for incentives offered to other individuals providing in-home support for an elderly individual. This legislation recognizes that caring for an elderly relative is a substantial financial challenge and relatives should be eligible for assistance as well.