# Massachusetts H 5595: An Act prioritizing patient access to care

Massachusetts H 5595, An Act prioritizing patient access to care, is a 194th General Court (2025-2026) House bill sponsored by House Committee on Ways and Means; status signed, last action 2026-08-10 (Signed by the Governor, Chapter 188 of the Acts of 2026) (as of 2026-11-01).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5595-194
- As of: 2026-11-01
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: Massachusetts H 5595
- State: Massachusetts
- Session: 194th General Court (2025-2026)
- Title: An Act prioritizing patient access to care
- Status: signed
- Chamber: House
- Introduced: 2026-07-22
- Last action: 2026-08-10, Signed by the Governor, Chapter 188 of the Acts of 2026
- Sponsor: House Committee on Ways and Means
- Cosponsors: 36
- Subjects: House Ways and Means, Senate Rules
- Touches household money: no
- Roll calls: 3 (245 yes, 69 no in all)
- Economic provisions PRIA read: 1

## Summary

No summary available.

## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read

- You and your doctor decide abortion care: benefit, medium. The law lets a licensed physician provide an abortion based on the doctor’s professional judgment. It removes older rules that listed specific medical reasons. No medical review committee or process can overrule the treating doctor and the patient, or the patient’s health care proxy, when care foll…

## Sponsors and cosponsors

- Sponsor: House Committee on Ways and Means
- Cosponsor: Adrianne Pusateri Ramos (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Amy Mah Sangiolo (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Carmine Lawrence Gentile (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Christine P. Barber (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Danillo A. Sena (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: David Paul Linsky (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Erika Uyterhoeven (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Greg Schwartz (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Homar Gómez (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: James B. Eldridge (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: James K. Hawkins (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Jay D. Livingstone (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Jennifer Balinsky Armini (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Jessica Ann Giannino (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: John Francis Moran (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Joshua Tarsky (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Kristin E. Kassner (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Lindsay N. Sabadosa (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Manny Cruz (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Margaret R. Scarsdale (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Marjorie C. Decker (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Mary S. Keefe (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Michelle M. DuBois (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Mike Connolly (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Mindy Domb (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Natalie M. Higgins (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Patrick Joseph Kearney (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Rebecca L. Rausch (Democratic), Senate
- Cosponsor: Sally P. Kerans (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Samantha Montaño (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Sean Garballey (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Simon Cataldo (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Steven Owens (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Susannah M. Whipps (Independent), House
- Cosponsor: Tara T. Hong (Democratic), House
- Cosponsor: Tommy Vitolo (Democratic), House

## Roll call votes

| Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-07-31 | House | Enacted | pass | 121 | 35 |   |
| 2026-07-30 | committee | Committee Place in OD: Placed in the Orders of the Day with an amendment | pass | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 2026-07-22 | House | Passed to be engrossed | pass | 119 | 33 |   |

## Actions (20)

- 2026-08-10: Signed by the Governor, Chapter 188 of the Acts of 2026
- 2026-07-31: Enacted and laid before the Governor (Senate)
- 2026-07-31: Enacted - 121 YEAS to 35 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 262) (House)
- 2026-07-31: Read second, ordered to a third reading, read third and passed to be engrossed (Senate)
- 2026-07-31: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-07-31: Committee reported that the matter be placed in the Orders of the Day for the next session (Senate)
- 2026-07-29: Referred to the committee on Senate Rules (Senate)
- 2026-07-29: Rules suspended (Senate)
- 2026-07-29: Read (Senate)
- 2026-07-22: Passed to be engrossed - 119 YEAS to 33 NAYS (See YEA and NAY No. 236) (House)
- 2026-07-22: Amendment 1 laid aside (House)
- 2026-07-22: Point of Order well taken (House)
- 2026-07-22: Point of Order pending (House)
- 2026-07-22: Amendment 1 pending (House)
- 2026-07-22: Read third (House)
- 2026-07-22: Rules suspended (House)
- 2026-07-22: Ordered to a third reading (House)
- 2026-07-22: New draft of H2370 (House)
- 2026-07-22: Pending new draft of H2370 (House)
- 2026-07-22: Reported from the committee on House Ways and Means (House)

## Bill text

- Chapter 188 of the Acts of 2026, 2026-08-10: [PDF](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5595.pdf)

## Related bills

- H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police chief Neal Hovey (passed senate)
- H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax abatements (signed)
- H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G.L. chapter 59, section 5, clauses seventeenth D and forty-first C in the town o… (passed house)
- H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the position of firefighter in the town of Dudley (signed)
- H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nicholas Spinale (second reading)
- H 4755: An Act amending the means tested senior citizen property tax exemption in the town of Sudbury (signed)

## Sources
- [Chapter 188 of the Acts of 2026 (PDF)](https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H5595.pdf)

## Related
- [H 5435: An Act authorizing the town of Topsfield to continue to employment of police ch…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5435-194)
- [H 4585: An Act authorizing the town of Auburn to offer expanded senior property tax aba…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4585-194)
- [H 5515: An Act to increase the value of estates eligible for abatements pursuant to M.G…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5515-194)
- [H 5520: An Act exempting George Patrinos from the maximum age requirement age for the p…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5520-194)
- [H 5429: An Act providing injured on duty compensation to Chelmsford firefighter Nichola…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5429-194)
- [H 4755: An Act amending the means tested senior citizen property tax exemption in the t…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H4755-194)
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/MA-H5595-194 (as of 2026-11-01).