'Freddy's Law' would require cardiac test for youth athletes

BOSTON — Health insurers will foot the bill for cardiac tests for high school athletes if a new proposal is approved by lawmakers on Beacon Hill.

The legislation mandates athletes in grades nine to 12 be screened for heart conditions with an electrocardiogram as part of their sports physical at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year.

Dubbed "Freddy's Law," the bill is named after Freddy Espinal, a 17-year-old Peabody Veterans Memorial High School junior who died in September from sudden cardiac arrest during wrestling practice.

State Rep. Tom Walsh, D-Peabody, one of the bill''s primary sponsors, said the goal is to identify undiagnosed heart conditions before a young athlete suffers cardiac arrest, which kills thousands of young people every year.

"If as part of a regular physical exam to play varsity sports students had an EKG, it might pick up a heart defect and avoid problems down the road," he said.

Walsh said the proposal stems from a conversation he had with Espinal's family during a recent ceremony at the elementary school Freddy attended to mark the installation of a bench with a plaque bearing his name. He said the family expressed support for efforts to prevent future tragedies.

"His mother felt if he had had an EKG he would probably still be alive today," Walsh said. "He was playing sports and they didn't realize there was an issue with his heart."

Electrocardiograms are a simple test that can be done in a nurse or doctor's office. It records the activity of the heart by measuring electrical impulses through small electrode patches attached to the skin of the chest, arms and legs. The screenings can catch issues such as irregular heartbeats and other abnormalities.

Under the proposal, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association would be required to work with the state and other groups to develop policies and procedures for conducting the examinations, including what happens when a test reveals abnormalities and whether there should be exemptions for parents to opt out of the screening.

"This bill is really important," said state Sen. Joan Lovely, D-Salem, another co-sponsor of the legislation. "A lot of these health issues are silent and often we don't find out about it until there's a tragic incident, as in Freddy's case. These screenings could help prevent that."

If approved, Massachusetts would join Florida in setting a requirement that student athletes be tested before they can play.

Florida's "Second Chance" law, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this year, was named in honor of Chance Gainer, a Florida Panhandle high school football player who died in 2024 after collapsing during a game. The law requires high school student athletes to get at least one EKG before they can play varsity football and other sports.

An estimated 7,000 children suffer cardiac arrest each year, according to the American Heart Association. Thousands of others are saved by Automated External Defibrillators, which provide a shock to revive a person in cardiac arrest, the association says.

The Massachusetts proposal still faces a long slog through the legislative process and needs to be approved by the House of Representatives and Senate before heading to Gov. Maura Healey's desk for consideration. The Legislature is almost at its halfway mark through the two-year session.

The late-filed bill is also facing early pushback from the health insurance industry, which opposes new mandates on medical coverage.

"Massachusetts already has one of the most comprehensive sets of required benefits in the nation, and layering on new mandates only makes coverage less affordable and drives more employers out of the regulated market," Lora Pellegrini, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, said in a statement.

Pellegrini said health plans are "committed to ensuring that all residents have access to high-quality, affordable care," but every mandate "adds to premiums for individuals and small businesses in the fully insured market."

Lawmakers backing the bills said they expected the insurance requirement to raise problems, but argue that the screenings will help save lives and reduce medical costs with a simple test.

"We know we have a long road ahead of us, but we thought that a late-file bill was the way to go to get the work started," Walsh said. "This gets the discussion going, and hopefully we can come up with a solution."

Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group's newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.