Senator Jason Lewis Appointed to Health Care Reform Conference Committee

BOSTON- Senator Jason M. Lewis, Senate Chair of the Committee on Public Health, was named as a Senate member of the six-member conference committee dealing with proposed health care reforms. Senator Lewis, along with Democratic Senator James T. Welch, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and Republican Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr, will work to reconcile the differences between two pieces of health care reform legislation: one passed by the Senate in November and one passed by the House of Representatives this June.

“I’m pleased to be appointed to serve on this conference committee and look forward to working closely with my colleagues from the House and Senate,” said Senator Jason Lewis. “The quality and affordability of healthcare impacts everybody in Massachusetts, and we have the opportunity with this important legislation to improve health outcomes, reduce health disparities, and contain healthcare costs.”

Senator Lewis also expressed his hope that the final bill will take steps to both rein in healthcare spending for private and public payers as well as reduce health disparities for Massachusetts residents. He highlighted the social determinants of health and the recognition that improving population health is fundamental to containing healthcare costs, reducing health disparities, and improving quality of life.

The House of Representatives appointed House Majority Leader Ronald Mariano (D- Quincy), Representative Jeffery N. Roy (D- Franklin), House Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, and Representative Randy hunt (R-Sandwich) to the House side of the conference committee.

The conferees will meet to negotiate a final version of the health care financing bill to be approved by both houses of the State Legislature.