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BOSTON – September 28, 2015 – As it works to improve customer service and prepare for the next Open Enrollment period, the Massachusetts Health Connector announced the establishment of an Ombudsman Office effective today, which will give members an advocate to help resolve serious service issues. “The Health Connector continues to reshape and improve our Customer Service experience based primarily on feedback from our members,” said Louis Gutierrez, the Executive Director of the Health Connector. “The goal is to have our members’ needs met each time they contact us. However, in those cases where members are highly dissatisfied and have exhausted regular service routes, ombudsmen will be available to serve as an advocate as we continue to correct an and improve service for our customers.” The program is in addition to the normal service communications and channels, and is not intended to circumvent the ability of member to get direct service at either walk-in centers around the state or from the call center. A member who needs intervention from the Ombudsman Office can contact the office through the “Contact” section of the Health Connector’s website, MAhealthconnector.org, or by mail at PO Box 960484, Boston, MA 02109-9997. To prepare for Open Enrollment, the Health Connector has made a series of improvements to both the online system and its customer service processes. The online system has improved with additional functionality that allows members to make account changes through the website, and a stronger payment system that eliminates the prospect of declined [...]

BOSTON – Thursday, Aug. 13, 2015 – The Massachusetts Health Connector today announced the 14 community groups that will work as a Navigator to provide enrollment and renewal support to residents throughout the Commonwealth during Open Enrollment. As the Health Connector prepares for 2016 Open Enrollment, which starts on Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 31, 2016, it will work with Navigators to ensure outreach is penetrating communities with higher rates of uninsured residents and those without insurance are encouraged to apply for coverage. Navigators can also assist current members who have questions about coverage renewing Jan. 1, 2016. “Massachusetts is committed to making health care accessible and affordable to everyone, and we are going to use this upcoming Open Enrollment period to encourage those without health insurance to sign up,” said Louis Gutierrez, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector. “Our Navigator partners will play a very significant role on the ground in their communities, directly talking to the uninsured and working with them to complete their applications and enrollments.” Navigators are mandated by the Affordable Care Act, and are part of a network of assisters that include more than 1,300 Certified Assistance Councilors, which are predominantly at health-care provider locations. A full list of assisters can be found at the Health Connector’s website. Additionally, the Health Connector will be focusing public education messaging and outreach on communities identified as areas with higher uninsured rates in an effort to reach as many uninsured people as possible during Open [...]

BOSTON – February 13, 2015 – The Massachusetts Health Connector and MassHealth announced today they are extending the deadline to complete an application and pick a plan to Feb. 23, acknowledging the toll a series of snowstorms in Massachusetts – including another one forecast for this weekend – has taken on operations and the ability for people to sign up for insurance. The deadline was Feb. 15, but the extreme weather has led to a number of days this month with the call center short-staffed, leading to long wait times for consumers looking for assistance. The extension gives applicants an additional week to complete an application, find out if they qualify for MassHealth or Health Connector coverage, select a plan and make a payment as necessary. The Feb. 23 deadline for making a payment stays in place. “We here in Massachusetts have experienced an extraordinary month of weather that has not only limited our operations, but also taken over the day-to-day lives of residents as they shovel out and try to deal with the snow,” said Louis Gutierrez, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector. “We worked closely with the Baker-Polito Administration to create this extension, which gives people a little more time to finish up what they need to do to get health insurance through the Commonwealth.” Through Feb. 11, more than 464,000 people had completed an application and been determined qualified for MassHealth or a Health Connector Qualified Health Plan. About 343,000 have enrolled in coverage, [...]

BOSTON – December 31, 2014 – More than 50,000 people will have new health insurance coverage starting Jan. 1 through the Massachusetts Health Connector, and the Commonwealth is prepared to ensure the transition goes as smoothly as possible for consumers obtaining their new coverage. Additionally, nearly 140,000 people have been enrolled in MassHealth since Nov. 15, 2014. The health plan’s process of enrolling members into new coverage and delivering an ID card to a member can take 10-14 days, which means many of the people who paid their first month’s premium near the Dec. 28 deadline will not have identification cards in hand on Jan. 1. Their coverage takes effect on that date, however, and the Commonwealth is working with health plans, providers, pharmacies and community organizations to ensure members know they have coverage, and provide guidance on how to work with their health plan to obtain services before they get an ID card. “In the first six weeks of Open Enrollment, nearly 140,000 people signed up for MassHealth, and more than 50,000 selected and paid for a Qualified Health Plan (QHP) through the Health Connector. That’s a very good start and brings us closer to our goal of seeing everyone in Massachusetts who needs insurance use the new system to access it,” said Maydad Cohen, Special Assistant to Governor Patrick. “We are going to spend the next week making sure that those who are in these QHP plans know the best way to access their coverage starting tomorrow, even [...]