Mass. seeks to raise fees for physician licensing

BOSTON – The Mass. Board of Registration in Medicine has announced plans to raise some physician licensing fees, saying it needs to generate more revenue to cover its operating costs.
The cost of a full license registration would remain at $600, but the biennial renewal fee would rise from $400 to $600, and doctors whose licenses lapse would pay $700 to reinstate them, up from the current $600. Acupuncturists, meanwhile, would see their licensing fees double, from $150 to $300 for full licensure and from $100 to $200 for biennial renewals.
Unlike most professional licensing fees, which go into the state’s coffers for general use, a 2002 state law requires 100 percent of increases to these fees to go directly to the licensing board.
A public hearing on the proposed fee hikes will be held March 25 at the board’s office in Wakefield, Mass. The board is also accepting written testimony in advance. &#8226