Announcements - Massachusetts Health Connector

Simple Sign-up health insurance enrollment is as easy as checking a box on the state tax form

New program will simplify sign up for coverage through the Health Connector February 7, 2022 – Uninsured Massachusetts residents can check a box on their state tax forms to quickly start the process of getting health insurance through the Massachusetts Health Connector’s new Simple Sign-up program. The program will increase access to health insurance, and provide assistance signing up for coverage to thousands of residents. Through the Simple Sign-up program, when checking the box on the tax form, individuals authorize the Department of Revenue to communicate select elements of the tax filer’s information with the Health Connector. The Health Connector will use this information to create and send tailored information to the tax filer, and to work with residents towards obtaining the most appropriate health plan. Many communities of color have higher rates of uninsured residents, an inequity that the new Health Connector program seeks to address. Every resident completing their state taxes must have health insurance or face an individual mandate penalty. The new checkbox on the state tax form will make it easy for uninsured residents to get covered through the Health Connector, the Commonwealth’s health insurance exchange. “Simple Sign-up is a convenient new way for residents without coverage to find a path to health insurance coverage,” said Louis Gutierrez, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector. “The Health Connector will be able to send information directly to those who check the box, and provide assistance obtaining the coverage and help paying for health insurance to meet their [...]

Open Enrollment Begins at the Massachusetts Health Connector – Increase in Financial Support for 2022 Coverage

Nov. 1, 2021 – Open Enrollment for 2022 health insurance begins today at the Massachusetts Health Connector, with more opportunities for enrollees to find financial assistance with their monthly premiums. Open Enrollment runs through Jan. 23, 2022, with a deadline to apply, pick a plan, and make a first premium payment by Dec. 23, for coverage to begin Jan. 1, 2022. Open Enrollment is the time when individuals without health insurance can find coverage through the Health Connector without a qualifying reason. “Access to affordable health care for individuals and families in Massachusetts is vital,” said Marylou Sudders, Secretary of Health and Human Services and Chair of the Health Connector’s Board of Directors. “Massachusetts has the highest insured rate in the nation, and Open Enrollment offers individuals the opportunity to apply and choose a coverage plan that meets their needs and provides security for their health and wellbeing.” “There has not been a more important time to obtain coverage through the Health Connector than now,” said Louis Gutierrez, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector. “There is more assistance than ever available to help pay for coverage, and more individuals are eligible for assistance to lower the cost of health coverage than ever before.” Through the federal American Rescue Plan, millions of dollars in new federal assistance are available to Massachusetts residents to lower the cost of their health insurance premiums. The ConnectorCare program offers lower-income members premium assistance – including $0 premiums for some– with low or no [...]

Massachusetts Health Connector Offers Plans with No Premiums to Residents on Unemployment in 2021

August 19, 2021 –Massachusetts residents who have received unemployment compensation at any point in 2021 are eligible for a health insurance plan through the Massachusetts Health Connector with no premium payments through the end of the year, regardless of their income. The availability of plans without premiums for people who’ve been on unemployment benefits at any point in 2021 is part of the federal American Rescue Plan, and makes available commercial health insurance plans that deliver quality benefits. Along with no premium payments, the plans for people who’ve been on unemployment have no deductible, and very affordable co-pays. “The Health Connector is pleased to be able to offer zero-dollar premium, high-quality coverage to Massachusetts residents who have experienced lost employment and income this year due to COVID-19,” said Audrey Gasteier, the Chief of Strategy and Policy at the Massachusetts Health Connector. “Residents who do not have health insurance and who have been on unemployment at any point this year can have the peace of mind of being covered, and not have to worry about making monthly premium payments for the rest of the year.” The plans are available to people who received unemployment for at least one week at any point in 2021 – even if they are no longer receiving checks right now. These plans are part of the Health Connector’s ConnectorCare program, which uses state and federal subsidies to make health insurance more affordable to low- and moderate-income residents. Along with the no-premium plans for people who are [...]

Massachusetts Health Connector and member carriers agree to carry over out-of-pocket costs for mid-year moves to access new lower premiums on-exchange

Agreement allows carrier members to access to lower Health Connector premiums as a result of the American Rescue Plan without resetting deductibles in 2021 May 20, 2021 – All nine health insurance carriers who participate in the Massachusetts Health Connector have agreed to let their off-exchange members move from an off-exchange plan to an exchange-based plan mid-year without losing spent out-of-pocket costs in 2021. This flexibility can help Massachusetts residents access new lower-cost plans through the Health Connector. The federal American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law in March 2021, creates new premium subsidies for many people who earn more than 400 percent of the federal poverty level (about $51,000), creating lower premiums for plans available through the Health Connector. Someone who currently buys their plan directly through the carrier can seek out the new premium help available only through the Health Connector. If they purchase a plan with the same carrier, the money they have spent on their deductible and other out-of-pocket costs will be credited for money spent so far this year. The Health Connector recently completed a redetermination of more than 11,000 current members who were not receiving subsidy previously. A majority of those people are now eligible for help paying for their health insurance, with average monthly premiums for those eligible dropping 27 percent thanks to savings of $217 per month – or $2,600 a year. “This agreement to carry over out-of-pocket costs for people moving into Health Connector plans will allow thousands of Massachusetts [...]

New Information from the IRS on Tax Relief for People who Received help paying for premium costs through the Health Connector in 2020

Were you were enrolled in coverage through the Health Connector in 2020 and received advance payments of the premium tax credit to help lower the cost of your health insurance premium? If so, the American Rescue Plan—signed into law on March 11, 2021—provides tax relief for people who received more premium tax credits in 2020 than they qualified for and would normally have to pay back when filing their 2020 tax return. For 2020 only, these excess tax credits do not need to be repaid. This relief may affect how you complete your 2020 tax return, which is due May 17, 2021. On April 9, 2021, the IRS released new information explaining how consumers can receive this tax relief, including if they have already filed their tax return or still need to file. If you have any questions about this tax relief, You can find this new information on the IRS website now. If you have questions about your Health Connector coverage, call customer service at 1-877-623-6765 (TTY 711 for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled). Or contact a Navigator near you.

National Coalition Launches “Get Covered 2021” Urging America To Mask Up and Get Insured—Focus on COVID And Coverage For 16 Million Americans Eligible for Financial Help Now

“Get Covered” is a call to wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID as well as a public statement that you want your family and friends to get health insurance. COVID underscores why insurance matters - but not just because of the pandemic - coverage can help people stay healthy and provide a pathway to care for diseases like cancer, diabetes, and many others that impact people’s Get Covered 2021 will focus on getting the estimated 16 million uninsured people across America eligible for financial help – through their Affordable Care Act marketplace, or free coverage through Medicaid – insurance coverage The Get Covered 2021 coalition announced that December 10th will be Get Covered America Day -- a day of action where everyone will be encouraged to keep wearing their mask and post a picture of themselves on social media, including a personal message about how friends, family and neighbors can get financial help for insurance now, sharing the website GetCovered2021.org and using the hashtag #GetCovered2021. WASHINGTON DC, SACRAMENTO, CA AND FRANKFORT, KY - Today, a broad coalition of states, consumer and patient groups, and health care providers from across the country launched Get Covered 2021, a new national initiative designed to help uninsured Americans enroll into health insurance and promote COVID-19 safe practices (see Attachment 1. Coalition Partners) As part of today’s launch, Get Covered 2021 announced tools and information available through a new website www.GetCovered2021.org, where Americans will be connected to their state or federal marketplace [...]

Important Update & Upcoming Maintenance

The Health Connector and MassHealth application will undergo planned maintenance Friday, July 31 at 8 p.m. through Sunday, August 2 at 12 p.m. During this maintenance period, you will not be able to access the application. Please plan ahead if you are applying for the first time, or need to update an existing account. Why is this maintenance happening? The Massachusetts Health Connector and MassHealth application is moving to a new website address. Starting Sunday, August 2, 2020, our new application web address will be at https://mahix.org/individual. If you already have an account, don’t worry. Your information is not changing. You won’t have to create a new login, all of your application information will be the same, and your enrollment information will not be impacted. This move does not impact Health Connector for Business. To make this happen, the website will be unavailable July 31 at 8:00 p.m. through August 2 at 12:00 p.m. and you won’t be able to complete the following activities during this time: Apply for health coverage Update your account information Upload documents View Health Connector notices Shop for a ConnectorCare or Health Connector plan Payments to the Health Connector If you are a Health Connector member and want to pay your premium, you will be able to do so through the guest payment portal. Important If you need to complete any actions that will be unavailable during the maintenance time as we move, we kindly ask that you do so before July 31 at 8:00 p.m. or wait until the application [...]

Health Connector extends enrollment an additional month to July 23rd for uninsured individuals

On June 22, 2020, the Health Connector announced in an Administrative Bulletin an extension to the special enrollment period in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency through July 23, 2020 to assist uninsured Massachusetts residents seeking health coverage. (The extended enrollment period was previously set to end June 23.) If you need to apply for coverage, you can start by creating an application → If you apply coverage under this special enrollment, the deadlines to complete enrollment are as follows: Coverage Start Date Enrollment Deadline July 1 June 23 August 1 July 23 Please note that if you are eligible to enroll due to normal special enrollment period rules, you can select the one that applies when you complete your application. If you or family members are eligible for MassHealth programs, you can apply any time of the year. Your coverage may start sooner than the 1st of the month. If you need help, you can call customer service at 1-877-623-6765 (or TTY: 711 for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled). Business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Health Connector extends enrollment to June 23rd for uninsured individuals

On May 21, 2020, the Health Connector announced in an Administrative Bulletin an extension to the extended enrollment period in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency through June 23, 2020 to assist uninsured Massachusetts residents seeking health coverage. (The extended enrollment period was previously set to end May 25.) If you need to apply for coverage, you can start by creating an application → If you apply coverage under this special enrollment, the deadlines to complete enrollment are as follows: Coverage Start Date Enrollment Deadline June 1 May 23 July 1 June 23 Please note that if you are eligible to enroll due to normal special enrollment period rules, you can select the one that applies when you complete your application. If you or family members are eligible for MassHealth programs, you can apply any time of the year. Your coverage may start sooner than the 1st of the month. If you need help, you can call customer service at 1-877-623-6765 (or TTY: 711 for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled). Business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

Massachusetts Health Connector extends enrollment an additional 30 days for uninsured individuals

On March 11, 2020, the Health Connector previously announced an extended, 45-day enrollment period through April 25 to assist uninsured Massachusetts residents seeking health coverage. The special enrollment period has now been extended an additional 30 days to May 25, 2020. If you need to apply for coverage, you can start by creating an application → If you apply coverage under this special enrollment, the deadlines to complete enrollment are as follows: Coverage Start Date Enrollment Deadline May 1 April 23 June 1 May 23 July 1 May 25 Please note that if you are eligible to enroll due to normal special enrollment period rules, you can select the one that applies when you complete your application. If you or family members are eligible for MassHealth programs, you can apply any time of the year. Your coverage may start sooner than the 1st of the month. If you need help, you can call customer service at 1-877-623-6765 (or TTY: 711 for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled). Business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.