All BWL KB

Dental coverage end dates

If you purchase dental insurance, your coverage always ends one year after your enrollment date. For example, if your dental coverage start date is June 1, 2016, your coverage end date will be May 31, 2017. However, some members enrolled in dental coverage will see a coverage end date of December 31, 2016 in the online application, which may not be correct. The Health Connector is aware of this error and is working hard to fix it. If at any time you are not sure of your dental coverage end date, please look at the information you received from your dental carrier, or you can call Health Connector Customer Service at 1-877-MA-ENROLL (1-877-623-6765), or TTY 711 for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled.

Your first payment

Making your first premium payment is an important step in the enrollment process. If you have a premium, in order to complete your enrollment in a Health Connector health or dental plan, you must submit your first premium payment no later than the 23rd day of the month before your coverage starts. For example, if you choose a plan to start on February 1, 2017, you must make your first payment by January 23, 2017 in order for your coverage to start on February 1. Please note you will not be enrolled in your health or dental plan until you pay the first month’s premium in full by the due date. Once you make your first payment, it will take about five business days before your insurance carrier will be able to confirm your enrollment. Once your enrollment is confirmed, you will receive a Welcome Letter from the Health Connector. Your insurance carrier will send you an ID card within approximately 2 weeks after the Health Connector receives your full payment. * Please note that the Health Connector does not accept payment by cash, debit cards, or credit cards.

Payment due dates

The payment due date for all Health Connector individual and family health and dental plans is the 23rd of every month before the next coverage effective (start) date, which is the 1st of every month. For example, Mar 1, 2017 is the payment due date for coverage effective April 1, 2017. All members who wish to make an online payment can use Health Connector's payment page at https://payment.mahealthconnector.org. No login is required to make a payment. Carefully read all of the messages and instructions on the payment page. For more ways to pay, go to our How to Pay page now →

How to change the amount of tax credit you use

If you are eligible for an Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC), the amount of the tax credit that you apply to your plan’s premium cost cannot be more than your total premium amount. So, when you are shopping for a plan and select a tax credit amount to lower your premium cost, please make sure it is less than or equal to the premium that is shown even if you have unused APTC available. To change your APTC amount, while you are shopping for plans: Click the “Change Tax Credit” link in the top paragraph of the page that explains what the Advance Premium Tax Credit is and how much you are eligible for. When you click the link, it will open a modal window in the web webpage that includes a slider to increase or lower the amount of tax credit you want to apply to your monthly premium. Then, click “Save” to save your changes.

Make a payment with your bank’s online bill pay system

You can pay your premium using your bank’s online bill pay. Follow your bank’s instructions for setting up the online payment. Search for and select Health Connector. Make sure the address is P.O. BOX 412612, Boston, MA 02241-2612. Be sure to include your 9 digit account number beginning with 7. You can find your account number in the top left hand corner of your Health Connector insurance bill. You can also call the Member Service Center to get your account number. When using this option, set the payment date to 3-5 days before your Health Connector payment is due, which is always on the 23rd day of the month.

Make a payment in-person

You can make a payment by check or money order in-person at one of our customer service walk-in centers during normal business hours: Walk-in center locations: Boston 133 Portland Street, 1st Floor Boston, MA 02114 Worcester 146 Main Street, Suite 201/202 Worcester, MA 01608 Springfield 88 Industry Avenue Springfield, MA 01104 Please note only payments by check or money order are accepted at this time. Payments by cash, credit, and debit card payments cannot be accepted. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Make a payment by mail

You will get an invoice within 3–5 business days after you choose your plan and can mail a check or money order for the full amount of your premium payment to the Health Connector, or bring it in-person to one of our walk-in centers. Mail a check or money order made payable to “Health Connector” along with the payment coupon from your invoice to: Health ConnectorP.O. BOX 412612Boston, MA 02241-2612 Please, remember to check your payment due date on your invoice.

Update your mailing address

If you still have the same home address, but a new mailing address, like a new PO Box, and you need to update the address you get mail, the Health Connector website now allows you to make updates to your application without calling customer service. If you need to report a change, you will now be able to sign into your account and edit your application by visiting the “My Eligibility” page and clicking “Edit Application”. On the next page, you will need to click “Report a Change”. From there, click the link that will take to you change your address or other contact information and follow the on-screen instructions to make your changes:

Special Note about Income Changes

Tip for entering income that is suddenly lower than expected: Enter your income as it is right now when asked on your application how much you are currently earning. Then, adjust your expected yearly income based on what you think you'll end up making over the course of the year. Reporting a change to your income may change the how much help paying for costs you receive if you applied for subsidies.If you receive an Advance Premium Tax Credit (APTC) and you report an income increase, you may see a decrease in APTC.If you report an income that is less, you may see an increase in APTC.If you are now enrolled in a Health Connector plan with no APTC and your income is lower, if you applied for coverage and help paying costs, then you may become eligible for APTC.If you report an income that is at or below 500% FPL, you may be eligible for ConnectorCare plans.If you are enrolled in ConnectorCare and report an increase or decrease in income that is still at or below 500% FPL, then your Plan Type may change. Learn more about Plan Types →If you report an income that is at or below 133% FPL, you may qualify for MassHealth coverage. View FPL Chart →

How to purchase a stand-alone dental plan

Individuals and families who only want to purchase a dental plan can apply for coverage and view plans anonymously, but need to call customer service to enroll. You will not be able to purchase a stand-alone dental plan online without also purchasing a health plan, but customer service support is in place to allow you to enroll over the phone. If you want to purchase a stand-alone dental plan without purchasing a health plan, please follow these steps: Complete an online eligibility application Preview dental plans and find a plan you would like to purchase from your available options Once you have identified a plan, contact Health Connector Customer Service to purchase your stand-alone dental plan over the phone. Call 1-877-MA-ENROLL (1-877-623-6765), or TTY 711 for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled. Find out more about dental plans now →