Press Release  MassHealth Data Highlights Successful Redetermination Process, Preserving Coverage for Families, Individuals, and Children

BOSTON — On Thursday, MassHealth reported final data from the federally-mandated process to redetermine the eligibility of all members after coverage protections during the COVID-19 public health emergency ended in April 2023. The year-long effort by MassHealth concluded with significant achievements, including successful coverage retention for special populations, such as children, and efficient transitions to the Health Connector.

As of May 31, 2024, MassHealth's caseload stands at more than 2 million members, showing a notable increase of 282,000 members (16 percent) from pre-COVID levels in February 2020. This includes 69,000 children that were not covered pre-COVID. This growth is consistent across all age categories, underscoring MassHealth's role as a vital healthcare program in Massachusetts.

MassHealth and partners, including the Massachusetts Health Connector and Health Care For All, engaged in extensive outreach efforts that were critical to reaching members. Efforts included canvassers knocking on over 428,000 doors and community-based organizations hosting more than 4,520 events in the 15 communities with the most members at risk of coverage loss. In those 15 communities, MassHealth saw a lower drop in enrollment during redeterminations, as compared to other communities.

"MassHealth's successful redeterminations effort reflects our commitment to ensuring that all Massachusetts residents have access to affordable, quality health care,” said Governor Maura Healey. “The extraordinary efforts made to keep eligible families, individuals, and children covered demonstrate our dedication to universal health coverage in Massachusetts.”

"Through this effort, the teams at MassHealth and EOHHS have worked diligently to support the health and well-being of communities across the state,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “The success of these efforts is a testament to our commitment to high-quality health care for all." 

In March 2020, MassHealth put federally-required protections in place that prevented members’ coverage from ending during the COVID-19 public health emergency. As a result, the agency’s caseload increased from 1.76 million in February 2020 to 2.40 million in April 2023. In April 2023, these coverage protections ended and MassHealth began a year-long process to redetermine all members’ eligibility, as required by the federal government. At 2.039 million at the end of May 2024, the MassHealth caseload fell by approximately 360,000 members during the redeterminations period, consistent with projections from early 2023.  

Throughout the redeterminations period, MassHealth prioritized coverage for children, achieving notably lower disenrollment rates for children compared to national averages. This commitment ensured that eligible children experienced minimal disruption in health care access.

"MassHealth implemented a comprehensive, collaborative plan to keep members covered and I am thankful to all our community partners, elder services organizations, and MassHealth staff for making this become a reality,” said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh. “These focused efforts helped ensure that more Massachusetts residents than ever before had access to important health care coverage, and I am thrilled that successful execution helped make this plan a reality.”

"We are grateful to our partners in the Legislature, across the Executive Branch, at the Massachusetts Health Connector, Health Care For All, and our plans and providers for their collaboration during this process,” said Assistant Secretary for MassHealth Mike Levine. “I especially want to thank MassHealth staff at Enrollment Centers across the Commonwealth who help our members access MassHealth coverage every day.”

Collaboration between MassHealth and the Massachusetts Health Connector also facilitated smooth transitions for over 133,000 members no longer eligible for MassHealth, surpassing national enrollment rates in subsidized health plans. 

“Through critical partnerships between Health Care For All, the Healey-Driscoll Administration, MassHealth, the Health Connector, and local community organizations, thousands of MassHealth members were able to maintain the health coverage they deserve," said Health Care For All Executive Director Amy Rosenthal. “We are honored to have worked with an administration so committed to health equity and look forward to continuing to build upon the success of this multilingual and multicultural campaign.”

"Massachusetts' redetermination process was successful due to the partnership and support from the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Legislature, our colleagues at MassHealth, Health Care For All, the business community, and health care advocates," said Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector Audrey Morse Gasteier. "Health Connector membership is at an all-time high due to this partnership and the expansion of ConnectorCare eligibility, and we are grateful to be part of a team that fully embraces creating coverage opportunities for everyone."  

MassHealth’s dedication to transparency and continuous improvement was the moving force in creating the public dashboard that launched in Spring 2023. This dashboard has provided the public with detailed insights into monthly caseload changes. Later this summer, MassHealth will publish a new version of the public-facing dashboard that will provide key caseload information on an ongoing basis. Even as the redeterminations period ends, MassHealth will continue its efforts to support members through their annual renewals and to continue to drive operational improvements that make MassHealth easier to navigate for its members.  

Visit Mass.gov for more information on the MassHealth Redeterminations Dashboard.

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