Working with the support of our health insurance carriers, the Massachusetts Health Connector has extended the deadlines for members selecting and paying for a health insurance plan with coverage starting in January 2014.
The new deadlines mean that you have until Tuesday, December 31, 2013, to select a plan and notify the Health Connector of that selection, and have extended deadlines for paying your premium.
For information about what these new deadlines mean for you, please continue reading below. We appreciate this has been a confusing time and are confident these extended deadlines will give more people the opportunity to comfortably select and pay for a plan in time for coverage in January.
Health Connector Plan (with no subsidies)
If you are purchasing insurance through the Health Connector and did not request financial assistance, you will have until Tuesday, December 31, 2013, to select the plan you would like to have for coverage starting in January 2014. You can apply, select a play and pay online through the Health Connector’s website, MAhealthconnector.org.
You can complete your plan selection online at mahealthconnector.org and submit an EFT payment at the time of plan selection online. If you have already selected a plan and need to pay, you must submit a check or money order by mail or in-person at one of our walk-in centers in Boston or Worcester. Your payment must be received by January 10, 2014.
You will not be enrolled in your health plan until you pay the first month’s premium. Once you make your first payment, it will take approximately five business days before you are reflected in the carrier’s system. If your payment is not received in time for your policy to be reflected by the carrier on January 1, you will be eligible for retroactive coverage through the plan. This means that if you use covered services between January 1 and when your payment is processed, the health insurance carrier will cover those services. However, your coverage will not begin under any circumstances until your premium payment is received, so please pay your premium as soon as possible
NOTE: For those who are applying through the Health Connector website (MAhealthconnector.org), existing language will say the deadline for payment is December 27. Disregard that language, with the new January 10 deadline in place.
ConnectorCare Members
If you are purchasing coverage through the Health Connector and receiving help paying for that insurance, you have until Tuesday, December 31, 2013, to select the plan you would like to have for coverage starting in January 2014. You will receive your first bill next month, which will include a request for payment for your January and February premiums.
Depending on when you notify the Health Connector of your plan selection, you will likely not appear in your carrier’s system until sometime in early January, perhaps as late as January 10, and your carrier will not see your name or your plan when they check your status in their system. However, your carrier will cover services that are covered by your plan, and are offered by a provider in the health plan’s network.
If you have already completed an application and received a plan selection notice from the Health Connector, you can complete your plan selection process by calling the Health Connector’s customer service center at 877-623-6765. If you have not started an application, you should visit the Health Connector’s website at MAhealthconnector.org to do so. The Health Connector will continue to process new and existing applications.
Health Connector Plan with Premium Tax Credits
If you are purchasing coverage through the Health Connector and receiving help paying for that coverage through the federal tax credit, you will have until Tuesday, December 31, 2013, to select the plan you would like to have for coverage starting in January 2014.
You will not be covered in that plan unless you submit payment to the Health Connector. You must select a plan and pay the premium by December 31, 2013. If you need more time to pay your first month’s premium, please contact us at 877-623-6765 for assistance.
If you have already completed an application and received a plan notification notice from the Health Connector, you can complete your plan selection process by calling the Health Connector’s customer service center at 877-623-6765. If you have not started an application, you should visit the Health Connector’s website at MAhealthconnector.org to do so. The Health Connector will continue to process new and existing applications.
