Press Release

April 12, 2024 – The Massachusetts Health Connector is celebrating today’s 18th anniversary of health care reform in Massachusetts, highlighting all-time high enrollment in health and dental plans, and providing health insurance to more than 1.1 million Massachusetts residents since 2015. Today, 350,000 Massachusetts residents get their health or dental coverage (or both) through the Health Connector, the most in the Marketplace’s history. This includes more than 250,000 in ConnectorCare coverage, the Health Connector’s landmark subsidized health insurance program. “Massachusetts’s historic health care reform law was signed into law on April 12, 2006, and not only created new opportunities for Massachusetts residents to access affordable health coverage, it also served as the model for national reform and the Affordable Care Act,” said Audrey Morse Gasteier, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector. “Over just the last decade, more than 1 million Massachusetts residents have relied the Health Connector at some point for the coverage they needed, and today more than 21 million people are in ACA plans due to what Massachusetts proved was possible nearly two decades ago.” Massachusetts’s health care reform law, known as Chapter 58, created the Health Connector and the concept of an insurance marketplace that could connect easily residents of all incomes to comprehensive health coverage if they did not have access to coverage through a job or another program, like Medicaid or Medicare. The Health Connector also created a model for delivering subsidized coverage to state residents who qualify. Originally known as Commonwealth [...]

Marketplace enrollment increases dramatically by 40 percent in the last year BOSTON – More than 72,000 people enrolled in new health insurance plans with the Massachusetts Health Connector during Open Enrollment 2024, which ended on January 23. This is the largest number of new enrollments in a decade, continuing a rapid increase in overall Health Connector enrollment, which has surged by 40 percent in the last year. Since February 2023, Health Connector individual health coverage enrollment has grown from 209,000 to 294,000 – a total increase of 85,000. Contributing to the surge in enrollment was this year’s historic ConnectorCare expansion – increasing the eligibility limit from 300 percent of the federal poverty level to 500 percent. During this year’s Open Enrollment, more than 43,000 current and new members moved into these new ConnectorCare plans. The Health Connector currently delivers individual (non-group) or small-business health insurance and dental coverage to more than 335,000 Massachusetts residents. The ongoing Medicaid redetermination process with MassHealth also continued to propel enrollment, with more than 25,000 people entering Health Connector coverage in January 2024 or February 2024 from MassHealth. Since redeterminations began in April 2023, more than 90,000 people have transitioned to Health Connector coverage after being no longer eligible for MassHealth. “Massachusetts has been a national leader in health coverage for nearly 20 years, and we’re so pleased to see even more people than ever before signing up for affordable health coverage through the Health Connector this Open Enrollment,” said Audrey Morse Gasteier, the Executive [...]

The deadline for coverage beginning January 1 is December 23, 2023, but residents have until January 23 to apply for 2024 coverage BOSTON, November 1, 2023 – Open Enrollment for 2024 health plans through the Massachusetts Health Connector starts today, with expanded access for tens of thousands of newly-eligible Massachusetts residents to the landmark ConnectorCare program that already helps 156,000 people access more affordable coverage. Open Enrollment is when anyone who needs health insurance can find coverage through the Health Connector, the Commonwealth’s official health insurance Marketplace. Open Enrollment runs through Jan. 23, but the deadline to start the New Year with coverage is Dec. 23. People who need health insurance can go to MAhealthconnector.org to apply and enroll in coverage. They can also find community-based support in dozens of languages to assist with completing an application. ConnectorCare plans save participants thousands of dollars in annual health care costs. For the first time, all Marketplace commercial carriers will participate in the program, which features subsidized monthly premiums, low co-pays, and no deductible payments. The two-year pilot expansion of ConnectorCare was part of the Fiscal Year 2024 state budget and increases income eligibility limits from 300 to 500 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) – $72,900 for an individual and $150,000 for a family of four. “No matter the reason – whether someone has lost MassHealth coverage, is new to Massachusetts, or recently lost coverage from an employer – there is no better time to find coverage through the [...]

This historic expansion allows for more access to health insurance plan choices that are both affordable and better suited to meeting an individual’s health needs BOSTON – Today, the Massachusetts Health Connector Board of Directors approved regulatory changes that will expand access to the Marketplace’s landmark ConnectorCare program through a two-year pilot program, creating the opportunity for tens of thousands of people to access more affordable health care. The ConnectorCare program is currently available for people who make up to 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and do not have access to health coverage, such as through an employer. The regulatory changes were required after Governor Maura Healey signed the Fiscal Year 2024 state budget last week, which included expanding the income limits of ConnectorCare from 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level to 500 percent and all Marketplace carriers to participate in the program for the first time. Together, the changes mean more residents than ever before will qualify for more help lowering health care costs since the creation of the Health Connector in 2006 and will also have greater access to more plan options. “Health care affordability is essential for everyone in Massachusetts, but particularly for low- and moderate-income families. Expanding ConnectorCare means delivering real help to tens of thousands of people,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This is an impactful step in addressing affordability and maintaining the highest percentage of health care coverage in the country, and we appreciate our partners in the Legislature for [...]

The Massachusetts Health Connector Board of Directors voted on Thursday, May 11, to ensure that health insurance plans used by five million Commonwealth residents to meet the state’s individual mandate continue to deliver high-value preventive services at no cost to consumers. This vote follows a March 2023 decision by a federal District Court in Texas to limit the scope of preventive services covered under the Affordable Care Act. The proposed regulation amendments guarantee that Massachusetts residents with health insurance plans meeting state Minimum Creditable Coverage (MCC) standards will continue to receive key preventive services like cancer screenings, HIV prevention, and cholesterol-lowering medication without cost-sharing. These proposed regulation amendments protect coverage standards that are current practice in the Commonwealth. Massachusetts leads the nation in health care coverage, with 97 percent of residents having health insurance. State standards, like the ones protected by today’s vote and the corresponding change in regulations, ensure residents can continue to access vital preventive services at no cost despite a recent federal court ruling. “Here in Massachusetts, we will always stand up against efforts to restrict access to health care – from preventive care to reproductive freedom. We are committed to protecting people’s civil rights and freedom,” said Governor Maura Healey. “I applaud the Health Connector Board of Directors for taking this critical step today to ensure that Massachusetts residents can continue to access preventive services – like cancer screenings, mental health screenings and contraception – at no cost.” “MCC standards ensure five million people in Massachusetts [...]

BOSTON — Audrey Morse Gasteier, who has served as a policy leader at the Massachusetts Health Connector for more than a decade, was named executive director of the state-based Marketplace today by Secretary of Health and Human Services and Health Connector Board Chair Kate Walsh. Morse Gasteier had been serving as acting executive director since January.  “Since its establishment in 2006, the Health Connector has been where Massachusetts residents can find affordable health care,” said Secretary Walsh. “Audrey has been a key part of that important work for many years, and I look forward to working with her as we continue to make health care coverage accessible to everyone in Massachusetts.”  “This is an incredibly exciting time to lead the Health Connector, with hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents potentially needing Health Connector coverage as the Commonwealth makes its way through the upcoming Medicaid redetermination process, and I am grateful to Secretary Walsh for this opportunity,” said Morse Gasteier. “The Health Connector plays a vital role in connecting Massachusetts residents from all walks of life to the affordable health coverage they deserve, and we are well-positioned to continue to deliver on that promise now and into the future.” Morse Gasteier has served at the Health Connector since 2012, leading policy development and strategy related to the Health Connector’s role as the state’s Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace. Her first work experience at the Health Connector was as a graduate school intern in 2007 as a Rappaport Institute Public [...]

With more help to pay for coverage for more people than ever before, Health Connector plans can be purchased by Dec. 23 to start the New Year November 1, 2022 – Starting today, people who need health insurance can get coverage that delivers high-quality, comprehensive benefits – including new $0 co-pays for some chronic illnesses – while also getting help paying for their coverage through the Massachusetts Health Connector. Open Enrollment runs through Jan. 23, 2023, with a deadline of Dec. 23 for people who want to start the New Year with coverage. The Health Connector is the only place where Massachusetts residents can access help paying for coverage, and all Health Connector plans meet state and federal standards, delivering the peace of mind that comes with having usable, affordable health insurance. Adult residents in Massachusetts are required to have health insurance coverage. People can find coverage at www.MAhealthconnector.org. “Massachusetts leads the nation in health care coverage, with more than 97 percent of about 7 million people covered, and we want every single person to have access to affordable health care that delivers strong benefits,” said Louis Gutierrez, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Health Connector. “With more help than ever, including thousands of dollars in financial support for premiums a year, going into 2023 with health insurance is the right choice for everyone.” New in 2023 are $0 co-pays for ConnectorCare members for a number of important medications for chronic conditions, like diabetes, asthma, coronary artery disease and [...]

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 [...]