H 4555
An Act to improve sickle cell care
Take action
Record your position on this measure.
Sign in to record your position, submit testimony, or contact your legislator.
Sign in to take action- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Bill overview
This bill aims to improve sickle cell care in Massachusetts by establishing a statewide steering committee to coordinate services and develop best practices. It also mandates coverage for fertility preservation services for individuals with sickle cell disease and creates a program to promote screening, education, and counseling related to the condition. Furthermore, the bill establishes a registry to track cases and improve data collection for research and quality improvement efforts.
Key provisions
- Establishes a Statewide Steering Committee on Sickle Cell Disease to oversee care coordination and develop statewide strategies.
- Requires Medicaid managed care organizations to provide coverage for standard fertility preservation services for individuals with sickle cell disease.
- Creates a sickle cell disease detection and education program to promote screening and awareness.
- Establishes a central registry to track cases of sickle cell disease and its variants.
- Requires Medicaid managed care organizations to implement a sickle cell disease quality strategy, including measurable goals and performance measures.
- Addresses the transition of care from pediatric to adult services for adolescents with sickle cell disease.
- Includes provisions for genetic counseling and testing related to sickle cell trait.
- Establishes a system for notifying individuals with sickle cell trait and their families about the availability of genetic counseling.
Who is affected
Sponsors
Official sponsors from legislative records.
Primary sponsor
Joint Committee on Financial Services
Cosponsor
Bud L. Williams
Arguments in favor
Reasons to support this legislation.
No arguments in favor have been submitted.
Submit yoursArguments opposed
Reasons to oppose this legislation.
No arguments opposed have been submitted.
Submit yoursRead the latest version inline or switch to a previous version.
Bill H.4555 194th (Current)
An Act to improve sickle cell care
View Text Print Preview Download PDF
Bill Information
Bill Information
Sponsor: Joint Committee on Financial Services
Tabs
Bill History Cosponsors Committee Vote Committee Summary
Bill History
Displaying 6 actions for Bill H.4555
| Date | Branch | Action |
| 9/29/2025 | House | Reported from the committee on Financial Services |
| 9/29/2025 | House | New draft of H1347 |
| 9/29/2025 | House | Reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Health Care Financing |
| 12/8/2025 | House | Reporting date extended to Wednesday, March 18, 2026 |
| 3/19/2026 | House | Reporting date extended to Monday, June 15, 2026 |
| 4/21/2026 | House | Accompanied H4554 |
Similar Bills
H.1347 194th (Current)
An Act to improve sickle cell care
S.1073 194th (Current)
An Act relative to capacity determination
S.907 186th (2009 - 2010)
An Act relative to screening for developmental disabilities.
H.3384 189th (2015 - 2016)
An Act requiring physician training on Alzheimer's and dementia
H.1889 191st (2019 - 2020)
An Act creating autism teams in hospitals
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The General Court provides this information as a public service and while we endeavor to keep the data accurate and current to the best of our ability, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.