Healey announces campaign to help residents hold onto their healthcare coverage

HAVERHILL — Gov. Maura Healey stopped in Haverhill on Aug. 11 to announce a new statewide effort to help Medicaid recipients who could be at risk of losing their healthcare coverage simply because they missed a letter, deadline or new requirement.

A statewide public awareness and outreach campaign will officially launch this week, with aims to help MassHealth members understand and navigate new federal Medicaid requirements imposed under legislation signed by President Donald Trump.

The campaign will provide additional information and one-on-one assistance to eligible residents to ensure they maintain their coverage as members may be affected in the coming months.

The governor was joined by Mayor Melinda Barrett, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kiame Mahaniah, Sen. Pavel Payano, state Reps. Andy Vargas and Ryan Hamilton, Health Care For All Executive Director Jennifer Lemmerman, Community Action Inc. CEO Kerri Perry and many other state and local officials at Make It Haverhill for the announcement.

Healey called back to July 2025, when Congress and Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill, reducing federal health care spending by more than $1 trillion over 10 years, mainly through changes to Medicaid.

"What it did is something not beautiful at all. It took a trillion dollars out of healthcare," she said. "One way it plays out is it directly impacts those who are covered by Medicaid."

She added many MassHealth recipients are working people whose incomes can be inconsistent, and that the new eligibility requirements could make it more difficult for some to remain enrolled.

These changes are designed to reduce the number of people receiving Medicaid coverage and generate funds to help pay for tax cuts, Healey said.

"They're going to take that money that they save, covering people with healthcare, and they're going to use that to cover the tax cuts for the wealthy," she said. "It's wrong. It's going to hurt people. It's going to hurt our hospitals."

This could potentially lead to higher health insurance premium costs for other residents, the governor said, to compensate for treatment to those who become uninsured.

The state is responding with a statewide education campaign, as MassHealth members will start receiving notices explaining how the changes could affect them and what steps they may need to take to maintain coverage.

Healey's administration is working with Health Care For All, a Boston-based nonprofit consumer health advocacy group, and nearly 50 community-based organizations like Haverhill's Community Action Inc.

She urged MassHealth members to make sure their contact information is up to date in the state's system, including their mailing address, phone number and email. "We are going to do everything that we can to help our MassHealth recipients navigate and manage these changes and protect their access to healthcare," she said. "We want healthcare to be more affordable and accessible to all."

Residents can find out more at Mass.gov/MassHealthMembersChanges.

"Medicare, Medicaid cuts are looming," Barrett said. "This is a very important mission that the state is taking up in lieu of the federal government falling down."