Press Release  Healey-Driscoll Administration Marks the Start of the MassHealth Eligibility Redeterminations Process

BOSTON — Today, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh was joined by MassHealth Assistant Secretary Mike Levine, Health Connector Executive Director Audrey Morse Gasteier, Health Care For All (HCFA) Executive Director Amy Rosenthal, La Colaborativa Executive Director Gladys Vega, and community leaders at La Colaborativa in Chelsea, to mark the beginning of the MassHealth redeterminations process and share information with MassHealth members about what they can do to stay covered.

Since March 2020, MassHealth has suspended eligibility redeterminations and maintained members’ health care coverage in compliance throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with the federal Maintenance of Effort provision of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Starting on April 1, 2023, for the following 12 months, MassHealth will redetermine its full caseload of 2.3 million members. Members who need to respond to MassHealth will receive a blue envelope, requesting information which will be used to determine eligibility for continued coverage.

Massachusetts is committed to assisting current members to reduce unnecessary loss of health care coverage and ensuring that all members receive the appropriate coverage during the redeterminations process. MassHealth and the Massachusetts Health Connector have an integrated eligibility process that ensures that information about members who are no longer eligible for MassHealth will automatically be sent to the Connector for outreach.

“Our administration is committed to ensuring that Massachusetts residents continue to have access to high-quality, affordable health insurance through MassHealth, the Health Connector, or another option,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We’re grateful to have strong partners like Health Care for All and community organizations like La Colaborativa working with us to get the word out about the redetermination process and make sure we are reaching all communities.”

"MassHealth has been working tirelessly since redeterminations were suspended three years ago to make sure we handle this process as humanely, effectively, and efficiently as possible. As prepared as we are, we recognize that this poses an additional challenge for individuals and families who rely on us for health care coverage,” said Secretary Walsh. “We are grateful to the community organizations that have partnered with us to help contact those who may be difficult to reach, and to the organizations that are helping us prevent a gap in coverage for Massachusetts residents.”

"We are committed to providing MassHealth members with the information and resources they need to stay covered during and after the redetermination process," said Mike Levine. "MassHealth has been working to ensure that members have the tools they need to successfully complete their renewals in a timely manner and avoid gaps in coverage through the redetermination process. We will continue to work closely with health plans and partners in the community to support our members through this process, and we are determined to ensure that Massachusetts continues to be a national leader in health coverage as we embark on the next 12 months of renewals."

“Massachusetts has a long history of leading the way on health care access and affordability, and through this collective effort over the next year we will make sure everyone who needs health insurance has it,” said Audrey Morse Gasteier. “The Health Connector’s role is to make sure everyone in the Commonwealth who needs coverage can get covered in an affordable, high-quality plan. People losing MassHealth coverage can preserve their peace of mind by securing new health coverage through the Health Connector and tapping into state and federal subsidies to lower their costs.”

“Health Care For All is honored to do our part in this partnership with Governor Healey, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, MassHealth, and the Massachusetts Health Connector to help MassHealth members maintain their current health insurance coverage or move to a health plan that work best for them,” said Amy Rosenthal. “This is an all-hands-on-deck effort, and we are thrilled to play a role in 15 communities by partnering with 42 community organizations, a 90-member canvassing team, and dozens of local and community-oriented media outlets on a multicultural, multilingual campaign to educate people about the steps they need to take to stay covered."

“Access to healthcare is a critical stabilizing force in the lives of our families and we are committed to supporting a successful redeterminations process for our community,” said Gladys Vega. “We expect most of our families will remain eligible for MassHealth coverage. The work lies in reaching out with trusted messengers, sharing information that is bilingual and culturally relevant, and supporting them with dignity and respect to have their questions answered, complete their paperwork, and access online tools and forms. This is the heart of what La Colaborativa does every day in support of families.”

“As part of a larger canvassing operation launching next week in 15 cities, my team and I will be knocking on doors and talking to our neighbors in Brockton to help them understand the steps they need to take to renew their MassHealth coverage,” said Bryan Winston, a Brockton resident, MassHealth member, and redeterminations outreach team member. “As a MassHealth member myself and a person living with a chronic condition, I know how important it is to have access to health insurance, and I am proud to be part of this campaign.” 

Although the renewals process for members will begin on April 1, MassHealth has undertaken extensive preparations in advance. This includes increasing staffing levels by about 500 people to support MassHealth Customer Service Center capacity, application processing, and hearings, and a $5 million grassroots outreach campaign in partnership with the Health Connector and HCFA.

This outreach includes door-to-door canvassing in 15 communities with the highest number of MassHealth members to share materials and resources; sub-grants to community-based organizations to aid in hiring, and a media buy in nine different languages.

MassHealth is coordinating additional outreach in partnership with providers, advocates, health plans, and other stakeholders, focusing on those who might be overlooked by traditional methods and yet most susceptible to losing insurance coverage. These populations include people over the age of 65, people experiencing homelessness, people who are disabled, and people who are immigrants. To support these members, MassHealth has developed multilingual targeted communications materials and webinars, and on-the-ground resources such as the MassHealth Renewal Help Guide, which includes step-by-step renewal instructions and commonly asked questions.

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