BOSTON — Seeking to safeguard access to preventive health services, state regulators agreed Thursday to maintain existing federal standards to avoid any negative impacts that might be caused by shifting guidance from Washington.
The Massachusetts Health Connector Board voted to lock in federally defined preventive services as of July 1, 2025. Officials expressed concern about a shakeup to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and the potential for subsequent clinical recommendations that could erode access to care.
Massachusetts has already disentangled itself from federal vaccine policy, after U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. terminated all members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Gov. Maura Healey and state health officials have rebuked recommendations from Kennedy’s new appointees, including around COVID-19 and measles shots.
The state’s minimum creditable coverage standards — which outline the scope of insurance coverage that residents need to comply with the individual insurance mandate or face a tax penalty — rely on the federal definition of preventive health services to identify which types of no-cost care Bay Staters should have, said Michael Cannella, the Health Connector’s assistant general counsel.
“There have been … some concerning developments, both as a matter of case law and federal administration policy actions, that have called into question the reliability of this legal mechanism in federal law that assumes that these clinical bodies will make evidence-based recommendations that will then carry the force of law,” Cannella said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services last month began accepting nominations for the preventive services task force, seeking physician specialists in areas like anesthesiology, pain management, cardiology, endocrinology, family medicine, gastroenterology, hematology, oncology, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, preventive medicine and radiology.
HHS says it’s also looking for health economic experts and people with rural medicine expertise. New members are expected to start in July. The task force typically meets three times a year, but its last meeting was in March 2025, according to CNN.
Cannella said the regulatory change looks to ensure that preventive health services are available “without cost-sharing, so that folks can actually get access to the care that we think is beneficial to them without cost barriers.” The change will align with the 2027 tax year, he said.
Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein filed written testimony in support of the regulatory change, saying it would preserve access to services for roughly 5.5 million adult residents.
“Shifting federal guidance creates a risk that carriers could narrow their preventive benefit offerings, potentially reducing access to immunizations, screenings, and other evidence-based services critical to the health of Massachusetts residents,” Goldstein said. “The proposed amendment addresses this risk by establishing a floor that maintains clear, consistent expectations for carriers across all market segments.”
The commissioner said that scaled-down preventive benefits, should they be rolled out, would disproportionately affect communities of color, low-income residents and people managing chronic conditions.
“Rolling back coverage could widen existing health disparities and undermine decades of progress in areas such as immunization, cancer screening, and chronic disease prevention,” Goldstein said.
The Health Connector had a tumultuous 2026 open enrollment period following the expiration of federal subsidies. More federal changes will hit for 2027 open enrollment, with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act restricting the timeframe for people to sign up for coverage accessed through the Connector.
“Because federal rules will preclude us from extending open enrollment into January, we are planning to open our OE doors earlier this year, preparing for an open enrollment period this fall that will run from Oct. 23 to Dec. 23,” Connector Executive Director Audrey Morse Gasteier said. “As we get closer to the fall, we look forward to keeping the board posted on our extensive outreach and education plans to help members, and applicants and the public to be aware of the significant shift.”
Alison Kuznitz is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts. Reach her at [email protected].
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