Press Release

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 or [...]

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, including [...]

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 [...]

BOSTON – Tuesday, December 23, 2014 – Maydad Cohen released the following statement on the Massachusetts deadline to pay for January 1, 2015 health insurance coverage: “Given the heavy interest in signing up for Jan. 1, 2015 coverage, we will accept online and paper payments through Sunday, Dec. 28. We need to be very clear, however, that consumers must select and check out a plan by midnight tonight, Dec. 23. The plan selection deadline for Jan. 1 health insurance is immovable. However, if consumers complete that critical step, they can go online to pay, or ensure we receive a check, by midnight Dec. 28 and still be guaranteed Jan. 1 coverage. Providing a little extra time to make payments should help consumers and ensure we continue to successfully expand access to quality, affordable insurance to people who need it at the start of 2015. In addition to its normal Saturday hours of operation, the Health Connector’s call center will be open this Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. to assist consumers who decide to take advantage of the new payment window. Due to the time it takes to process payments, people who mail a check between now and the receipt deadline of Dec. 28 may receive their health plan’s ID cards a few days after Jan. 1. However, their coverage will be in place for the start of the month.” ### Contact: Kim Haberlin – 617-470-9686 Jason Lefferts – 617-869-4894 Claire Cooper – 617-921-6870

108,155 people determined eligible for ACA health insurance; Enrollment Fair in Springfield attracts more than 250, in-person help available on Dec. 9 in Boston BOSTON – Thursday, December 4, 2014 – The new Massachusetts Health Insurance Exchange (“MA HIX”) website has successfully determined 108,155 individuals eligible for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance. Less than three weeks into Open Enrollment 2015, 49,928 have been enrolled in MassHealth coverage and 58,227 have been found eligible for Health Connector-sponsored plans. Of the 58,227 who qualify for Health Connector insurance, 29,439 have already shopped and selected their health plans while 2,043 have paid their first bill, less than three weeks in advance of the Dec. 23 deadline to take action for Jan. 1, 2015 coverage. “Passing the 100,000 mark in less than three weeks is a testament to the strength of our IT and operations systems and the effectiveness of our outreach campaign,” said Maydad Cohen, the Governor’s Special Assistant for Project Delivery. “I won’t be satisfied until every person who needs access to affordable, quality coverage comes through our door but, with each passing day, we get closer and closer to reaching the universe of people who need our help.” The Commonwealth is engaged in a comprehensive consumer outreach and education campaign designed to notify the roughly 415,000 people currently in 2014 legacy or temporary programs who must act to maintain coverage in 2015. The Administration estimates that between 175,000 – 225,000 of the 2014 member transition population will in fact need to [...]

23,792 immediately enrolled in MassHealth; 28,175 found eligible for Connector-sponsored health plans, with 14,101 selecting a plan BOSTON – Monday, November 24, 2014 – In the first seven days of Open Enrollment 2015, the new Massachusetts Health Insurance Exchange (“MA HIX”) website successfully determined 51,967 individuals eligible for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance.  Of those, 23,792 were immediately enrolled in MassHealth coverage. The remaining 28,175 were found eligible for Health Connector-sponsored plans. Just over half – 14,101 – have already shopped and selected their health plans while 753 have finished the enrollment process by paying their first bill, five weeks in advance of the Dec. 23 deadline to take action for Jan. 1, 2015 coverage. MAhealthconnector.org attracted a total of 334,108 unique visitors in its first full week of operations, serving a high of 1,292 concurrent users with a page response time of 382 milliseconds. An average of 581 front line staff were available to assist consumers with questions about their applications across state and vendor call centers and application processing units. “By any measurement, the first full week of Open Enrollment in Massachusetts was a great success,” said Maydad Cohen, the Governor’s Special Assistant for Project Delivery. “People came to one front door and did what they weren’t able to do last year: be determined eligible for subsidized or unsubsidized coverage and then shop, select, pay for and enroll in a plan. The proof that the site works lies in the numbers but that does not mean we [...]

4,948 immediately enrolled in MassHealth coverage, 6,972 qualify for Health Connector plans, set to take next steps of shopping, enrolling BOSTON – Monday, November 17, 2014 – In the first two full days of Open Enrollment 2015, the new Massachusetts Health Insurance Exchange (“MA HIX”) website successfully determined 11,920 individuals and families eligible for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance. Over the weekend, the revamped Exchange attracted a total of 57,208 visitors and enrolled 4,948 into immediate ACA-compliant MassHealth coverage in real-time, a function last year’s website was never able to complete. The remaining 6,972 individuals and families were successfully determined eligible for Health Connector insurance plans. They are now able to take the next steps of shopping for quality, affordable insurance, enrolling in the plans of their choice and paying their first-month premiums, all online in a seamless end-to-end process. 3,600 individuals and families have already selected their plans and 137 have paid their first bill, five weeks in advance of the Dec. 23 deadline to take action for Jan. 1, 2015 coverage. “The website was stable, reliable and it did exactly what we built it to do: serve as a tool to connect Massachusetts residents to the health and economic benefits of ACA coverage,” said Maydad Cohen, the Governor’s Special Assistant for Project Delivery. “Now it’s up to us to build on the strong performance of the first two days, make sure every consumer using the site or calling the call centers enjoys the smoothest experience possible and [...]

BOSTON – January 9, 2014 – Governor Deval Patrick today announced Rick Jakious as the newest member of the Massachusetts Health Connector Board of Directors. Jakious is the Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. “As Massachusetts continues to lead the nation in health care access and affordability, Rick’s business leadership and knowledge will be an asset to preparing the Health Connector for the challenges of the future,” said Governor Patrick. Jakious succeeds Andres Lopez as the Board’s small-business representative and will serve a three-term into January 2017. Jakious was previously a member of the Health Connector’s Employer Advisory Council, a group created in 2013 to foster stronger communication between the business community and the Health Connector as Massachusetts transitioned to the Affordable Care Act. “I am thankful to Governor Patrick for the opportunity to serve on the Health Connector Board of Directors and to play a role in the health care conversation in Massachusetts,” Jakious said. “This is an exciting time in health care policy and this is a great opportunity to expand health care access to every person in the Commonwealth. All small businesses, nonprofit and for-profit, share a strong desire for a healthy workforce, as well as a healthy bottom line.” Rick Jakious has been the CEO of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, the state's largest member organization representing the nonprofit sector, since 2012. With more than 600 nonprofit and for-profit member organizations, the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network strengthens the nonprofit sector through advocacy, public awareness, and capacity building. [...]

Health Connector Prepares to Create New Opportunities for Additional Choice, Benefits and Subsidies through the Affordable Care Act BOSTON – Thursday, September 12, 2013 – The Health Connector’s Board of Directors voted today to award the “Seal of Approval” for 10 health and five dental benefit plans to be offered through the Health Connector beginning in October 2013 for coverage effective in January 2014. These plans will offer consumers more choice, more value and more savings opportunities. “The plans approved today by the Health Connector provide consumers with a diverse set of health and dental products from the Commonwealth’s leading insurers,” said Secretary of Administration and Finance Glen Shor, who chairs the Health Connector Board. “With these new products and the tools available under the Affordable Care Act, the Health Connector will be better-positioned than ever to make it easy for consumers and small employers to find health and dental coverage that meets their needs.” For coverage effective in 2014, the Health Connector shelf will include 114 medical plan options as well as, for the first time, 24 dental plans, tiered-copay plans and expanded small group options. With today’s vote, all nine health insurers currently participating in Health Connector programs plus one new entrant – Minuteman Health – were given Seal of Approval. The Seal of Approval plans have base rates that are nationally competitive, with the average base rate increase for 2014 held at only 1.9 percent. “Today’s vote is a significant step in our preparation for the implementation of [...]