News List

Surprise medical bills — ones sent to people who receive care outside their insurer’s network, often without knowing it until later — could be headed to arbitration under bipartisan compromise legislation hashed out last week by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal and others. “This was a significant breakthrough,” Neal said Monday. “The incentive there… Read more »

Unexpected shortages of food boxes and reduced service from a new U.S. Department of Agriculture contractor have left several Massachusetts food banks and schools scrambling to buy agricultural goods to adequately serve families, according to lawmakers. Massachusetts lawmakers on Monday wrote to USDA to request a meeting after schools and food banks participating in… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD — For more than 20 years, Andrea Allen-Glenn has helped people in need have one less thing to worry about each week. As the food coordinator for the Emergency Food Assistance Program at Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Services on Rutland Street, Allen-Glenn connects people who need food with fresh produce, meat and other items. Organizations like Allen-Glenn’s… Read more »

Four congressional committees on Friday reached a bipartisan deal on legislation to protect patients from massive "surprise" medical bills after a series of tense negotiations.  The agreement is a milestone in a roughly two-year long effort to pass legislation to protect patients from what is widely seen as an especially egregious practice in American health… Read more »

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine has obtained emergency use authorization by the FDA, making it the first COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in the U.S. Now that the COVID-19 vaccine has been approved, the public could see the first shipments of the vaccine arrive in Massachusetts by December 15. Western Mass News spoke with Congressman Richard Neal about these… Read more »

Key congressional committees have clinched a last-minute deal to protect patients from receiving “surprise” medical bills, potentially putting an end to nearly two years of infighting over an issue that’s pitted powerful health care giants against each other and frustrated Congress. Shielding insured patients from eye-popping medical bills for unexpected out-of-network… Read more »

Today, key House and Senate Committee leaders announced a bipartisan agreement on legislation to protect patients from surprise medical bills and establish a fair framework to resolve payment disputes between health care providers and health insurance companies.  The deal was agreed to by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) and Ranking Member Kevin Brady… Read more »

The chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee urged the incoming administration to renew trade negotiations with the European Union, countering a pledge by President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. to postpone any new trade talks until after the United States has made significant domestic investments. The statement on Friday, from Representative Richard E. Neal, Democrat of… Read more »

HOLYOKE, MASS. (WHDH) - Congressmen Joe Kennedy III and Richard Neal are introducing a bill in response to the deadly COVID-19 outbreak that occurred at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home in the springtime. The Holyoke Veteran’s Act aims to get justice for 76 veterans who died from coronavirus exposure at the home and prevent an incident like that from happening again. If passed,… Read more »

(As Prepared for Delivery) Good afternoon, thank you to everyone for tuning in. Today, we are over nine months into the COVID-19 pandemic that has inflicted unthinkable losses on our country. Over 280,000 Americans have died from the virus and countless are suffering. Scores are sick or have lost loved ones. Our frontline health care workers are overwhelmed and overworked as they… Read more »