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S 2599

Relates to enacting "Priscilla's law" requiring ebikes and electric scooters to be registered and have license plates

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Joe Addabbo and 1 co-sponsor

Requires insurers to cover medically necessary early treatments for port-wine stains in individuals ≤18, excluding cosmetic-only care.

PRINT NUMBER 2599A
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · S 2599

Summary — S.2599 (SD 3071) — “An Act providing insurance coverage for the medically necessary treatment of port‑wine stains”

Note: metadata supplied with the request contains inconsistent items (references to “Priscilla’s law” / e‑bikes, a DoD instruction change, and multiple sponsor lists). This summary is based on the official bill text filed as Senate No. 2599 / SD 3071 (presented by Senator Patrick M. O’Connor, Commonwealth of Massachusetts), which establishes a mandated insurance benefit for port‑wine stain treatment.

Purpose

To require health insurers, HMOs and the Group Insurance Commission to cover medically necessary early‑intervention treatments for port‑wine stains (capillary malformation birthmarks) in individuals age 18 and younger, and to direct the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) to review the proposal’s impact.

Key provisions

  • Adds new section 47VV to Chapter 175 of the Massachusetts General Laws.
  • Definitions:
    • “Port‑wine stains” — capillary malformation conditions (nevus flammeus, Sturge‑Weber syndrome, Klippel‑Trénaunay syndrome).
    • “Medically necessary treatment” — treatment to prevent or address functional impairments (vision, oral function, mobility), medical complications (inflammation, bleeding, infection, hypertrophy), or significant psychosocial distress (especially in pediatric patients).
    • “Early intervention treatment” — topical, intralesional, systemic therapies; FDA‑approved laser treatments; surgery or other medical procedures to treat/prevent complications.
  • Coverage requirement:
    • Individual and group accident and sickness policies (Ch.175), medical service agreements (Ch.176B), group HMOs (Ch.176G), and Group Insurance Commission plans (Ch.32A) must cover medically necessary early intervention treatments for port‑wine stains for insureds age ≤18.
  • Limitations:
    • Treatments provided solely for cosmetic purposes are excluded unless they meet the defined medical necessity criteria.
    • Insurers may not impose deductibles, coinsurance, or numerical limits on port‑wine stain treatments that are more restrictive than those applied to other medically necessary services.

CHIA review and reporting

  • CHIA must perform a mandated‑benefit review under G.L. c.3, §38C assessing the fiscal and operational impact across commercial plans and Medicaid/managed care (including contracted plans, MCOs, behavioral health management firms, third‑party administrators).
  • CHIA must file its review with legislative committees and clerks by January 1, 2026.

Who is affected

  • Primary beneficiaries: children and adolescents (≤18) with port‑wine stains who require medically necessary interventions.
  • Payers: commercial insurers, HMOs, GIC, and MassHealth contractors.
  • Providers: dermatologists, pediatricians, plastic surgeons, ophthalmologists and other specialists delivering early intervention therapies.

Effective date

  • Applies to contracts taking effect or renewed on or after January 1, 2026.

Potential impacts

  • Improves access to early, medically indicated treatment for pediatric port‑wine stains — may reduce long‑term functional complications and psychosocial harm.
  • Likely to increase short‑term utilization and payer expenditures for covered therapies (including laser treatments). CHIA review is intended to quantify fiscal impacts and inform implementation.
  • Administrative updates for insurers to align benefit design and cost‑sharing rules.

Procedural status (as provided)

  • Filed: July 16, 2025 (Senate Docket No. 3071 / Senate No. 2599).
  • Legislative actions include referrals and assignment to committees; a CHIA report deadline and a public hearing were scheduled (CHIA report due and hearing noted in bill text/schedule).

If you want, I can: (1) extract the exact statutory language for quick reference, (2) prepare a one‑page fact sheet for stakeholders (families, providers, insurers), or (3) summarize expected fiscal impacts based on analogous mandated‑benefit reviews.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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