Healey highlights coverage gains, behavioral-health centers and a $25 cap on certain drug costs

Governor Maura Healey used the address to review recent expansions in health coverage, mental-health capacity and prescription-cost protections.

Healey said roughly 60,000 more people in Massachusetts gained affordable coverage last year, and she listed newly covered services—including screenings, midwives, birthing centers and recovery coaches—that the administration says are now covered as insurance benefits.

To address youth mental-health needs, Healey announced 31 community behavioral health centers that provide 24-hour service and said those centers have helped more than 30,000 young people so far. She urged further investments to place behavioral-health support in schools.

On prescription costs, Healey said she signed a law capping certain prescription costs at $25 per month, citing insulin and inhalers as examples. She also directed the administration to shift more health resources toward primary care so residents can get timely appointments and avoid more intensive care settings.

The governor noted the state's role in stabilizing the hospital market in a recent transaction involving Steward, which she said protected several hospitals and thousands of jobs; the address summarizes the administration's role but does not include full transactional detail.

Healey framed these measures as part of a broader push to make basic health care more affordable and accessible across Massachusetts.