Lawmakers heard more than a dozen witnesses on legislation (H359/S251) that would require MassHealth, the Group Insurance Commission and commercial insurers to reimburse community health worker services, supporters said.

The bill’s backers told the Joint Committee on Public Health that formal reimbursement and a workforce-development task force are needed to sustain a sector that currently depends heavily on short-term grants.

Lizette Blonde, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Health Workers, told the committee that the bill recognizes “who community health workers are and how their lived experience informs their interventions.” She said CHWs “prevent individuals from missing primary care appointments, help them understand their medications, and even prevent deaths.”

Suzanne Curry, director of policy initiatives at Health Care For All, summarized the bill’s core components: requiring reimbursement, establishing a CHW workforce development task force to examine funding, career pathways and certification barriers, and adding navigation to behavioral health and other services to CHW certification competencies.

Walla Hayek, senior manager for health equity with the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, said the lack of standardized reimbursement “presents a significant barrier to the integration and long-term viability of CHWs in the health care system.” She and other hospital and health system witnesses urged a favorable report.

Municipal and frontline testimony illustrated how CHWs operate in practice. Andrea Benvenuto, community health worker manager for the City of Somerville, said the city funds a team of four CHWs and that “with stable funding, these connections can become a standard across the commonwealth.” Marianne Tokarski, director of health education access and outreach at Cambridge Health Alliance, described hypertension workshops led by CHWs in multiple languages and recounted patient improvements in blood pressure and self-management.

Clinicians gave similar examples. Dr. Christina Bristow, a pediatric neurologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, said she lost a federally funded CHW, and that loss threatened the viability of a clinic she runs in Lawrence: “She built trust, guided families through the door, coordinated appointments, and connected parents to community resources.”

Speakers emphasized workforce instability: Ms. Blonde said there are “10,000 or so community health workers in Massachusetts” and that roughly half of CHWs earn less than $40,000 a year, with most salaries dependent on grant funding. Several witnesses asked the committee to require reimbursement pathways and long-term funding so employers can hire and retain CHWs.

Several presenters also argued that covering CHW services would save money by reducing avoidable hospitalizations and ER visits. Mark Haimovitz of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network said patient navigation is evidence-based and “typically funded through grants” that are among the first items cut when funding falls.

The committee did not take a vote during the hearing. Supporters urged members to report H359/S251 favorably so the measures could advance to further deliberation.

Supporters said they will provide technical details to staff about certification alignment, billing codes, and the task force structure as the bill moves forward.