OpenCampaign

Health and Health Care

Healthcare affordability and mental health access

Massachusetts officials are expected to advance healthcare affordability and access measures in 2026, including expanded mental health services, responses to provider shortages and insurance coverage changes, a Healthcare Affordability Working Group, bans on reporting medical debt to credit agencies, and limits on prior-authorization requirements after a doctor has approved care.

What should Massachusetts do about healthcare costs, medical debt, and mental health access?

How important is this to you?

Sources

ML Strategies — https://www.mlstrategies.com/insights-center/viewpoints/2026-01-23-massachusetts-2026-policy-outlook-elections-affordability-and
Additional initiatives likely to take shape in 2026 include expanding mental health access, addressing new insurance coverage implications, and tackling persistent provider shortages. Governor Healey has also advanced several affordability-focused proposals, such as creating a Healthcare Affordability Working Group, prohibiting medical debt from being reported to credit agencies, and eliminating prior authorization requirements when a doctor has already approved care.
Positions on this issue  ·  liberal → conservative
  1. Strongly expand public mental health access and ban medical debt credit reporting
  2. Support affordability working group, limit prior auth, and grow provider capacity
  3. Study cost drivers first; make targeted fixes without major new mandates
  4. Rely mainly on market competition and less regulation of insurers and providers
  5. Cut state healthcare mandates and spending; leave coverage mostly to private markets