Mass. has dropped 76,000 from state health insurance rolls this year

Inside are key questions that determine whether they are eligible to receive state-subsidized health insurance coverage, also known as Medicaid. There's also phone numbers of organizations and links to them, that can help residents complete the paperwork.

The review process, which had been on pause for more than three years during the COVID-19 pandemic, has so far revealed that more than 76,000 of the residents who had been carried on the rolls no longer qualified for the subsidy. And the review process is only halfway completed, scheduled to end in April.

State officials anticipated some residents would lose coverage

"We knew, and anticipated, that people would lose coverage," said Amy Rosenthal, executive director of Health Care For All, a local consumer health advocacy organization that aims to ensure coverage for all residents.

To guarantee as many state residents have health insurance coverage as possible, three organizations –MassHealth, the Health Connector and Health Care For All – are collaborating on a statewide campaign to facilitate the process, alongside 30 community and faith organizations.

The groups have sent field workers knocking on more than 421,000 doors in 15 municipalities with the highest volume of MassHealth members. They have staffed nearly 1,400 outreach events and activities. They speak nine different languages including Haitian and Cape Verdean creole, Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese, Spanish and Portuguese.

"The canvassers live in the neighborhoods where they are working, speak the languages of the neighborhood," Rosenthal said, because in the end, the goal is to insure as many people as possible, to attain universal coverage in the state.

State goal: Universal

health insurance coverage

"We want all people in Massachusetts to have coverage," said Mahaniah Kiame, the state's undersecretary for health. "It's hard to live in America and feel secure and live your life without health insurance."

If a resident fails to qualify for the direct subsidy, they are linked to the Health Connector. That website offers commercial insurance coverage at low cost and can also help determine whether an applicant qualifies for free or lower-cost coverage like MassHealth, ConnectorCare plans or a tax credit.

Monday, Massachusetts officials took a few minutes to pause the redetermination process and applaud the people who are working to keep residents enrolled in health care coverage.

"The redetermination may seem like a bureaucratic exercise, but it is a deeply personal process," said Michael Levine, assistant secretary of MassHealth. "One in three Massachusetts residents qualifies for MassHealth. We are determined to keep them on their plan or to find an alternative."

He promised the state is not returning to business as usual. The pre-pandemic letter in the mail that announced someone's eligibility was being reviewed and "good luck with that.

"We are calling, e-mailing, texting," Levine said, adding the state is committed to finding someone in the community who speaks the same language as the applicant to guide them through the process.

Open enrollment

coincides with 14-month redetermination process

Open enrollment started at the beginning of the month and coincides with the year-long redetermination process.

Once the redetermination process is wrapped up, Levine calculated that MassHealth will lose between 300,000 and 400,000 residents from the state rolls. He said the good news is that most will have been redirected to the Health Connector and will have been able to find comprehensive commercial plans or been able to access health insurance through their own or a spouse's employer.

There have been changes made for applicants seeking coverage and a subsidy through the Health Connector, said Audrey Morse Gasteier, the agency's executive director.

She pointed out that the income limits for lower-cost insurance aid were increased recently, with a single applicant qualifying with an income of up to $73,000 and a family of four with a limit up to $150,000.

"Applicants can save thousands in annual costs and access brand-name commercial insurance," Morse Gasteier said.

Dr. Atyia Martin, executive director of Next Leadership Development based in Boston, said her agency's goal is to help her community state connected to MassHealth.

"It's hard to be in survival mode and then have to pay attention to health care coverage issues," Martin said.