Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Division of Medical Assistance
600 Washington Street
Boston, MA  02111	
	MassHealth
	Long-Term-Care Facility Bulletin 75
	March 2001

	TO:	Nursing Facilities, Chronic Disease and Rehabilitation Inpatient Hospitals, and Rest Homes Participating in MassHealth

	FROM:	Wendy E. Warring, Commissioner

	RE:	Medex Premium Rate Increase

Background	Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts has received approval from the Division of Insurance to increase premium rates for all of its nongroup Medex plans:  Medex Gold, Medex Silver, Medex Standard, Medex Basic, Medex Bronze, and Medex Core, effective March 15, 2001.

Rate Changes	The Medex plans, old quarterly rates, new quarterly rates, and new monthly premiums appear in the chart below.  The new monthly premium is the amount allowed as a patient-paid amount (PPA) deduction.  Fees for special billing arrangements that cause a premium to exceed these amounts are not allowable PPA deductions.

Medex Plan	Old Quarterly Rate	New Quarterly Rate	New Monthly Premium	
Gold	$936.24	$1,028.91	$342.97	
Silver	$729.03	$	801.18	$267.06	
Standard	$694.11	$	758.79	$252.93	
Basic	$482.76	$	514.11	$171.37	
Bronze	$334.41	$	363.39	$121.13	
Core	$194.49	$	195.42	$	65.14	

PPA Adjustments	Although the rate increase is not effective until March 15, 2001, the Division will allow the higher premium deduction for the PPA calculation as of March 1, 2001.  The Division updated its computer system with the increased rates and recalculated PPAs for all affected long-term-care Medex members, effective March 1, 2001.  During the month of March 2001, system-generated notices containing information about the new PPAs were mailed to affected long-term-care members, conservators, and nursing facilities.

Questions	Questions about this bulletin should be directed to the MassHealth Provider Services Department at (617) 628-4141 or 1-800-325-5231.