Am I responsible for canceling my own coverage?

YES. If you no longer need health or dental coverage through the Health Connector, you must cancel your own coverage in most circumstances. There are 2 exceptions:

  1. If you update your account and are determined eligible for MassHealth coverage, your coverage may be automatically canceled at the end of the current coverage month.
  2. If you update your account and are determined not eligible for coverage through the Health Connector, your coverage will be automatically canceled at the end of the current coverage month.

When should I cancel my coverage?

As a Health Connector member, you have a right to cancel your health or dental plan at any time. But the day of the month when you cancel your plan is very important.

If you need to cancel a health or dental plan for next month, then you must cancel the plan by the 23rd of the current month.

Your coverage end date is the last day of the month that you request your plan cancellation even if you cancel before the 23rd of the month. Otherwise, your coverage will end the last day of the following month. So, if you cancel your plan on or before the 23rd of the month, you will still be covered through the last day of that same month. If you cancel your coverage the 24th of the month or later, you will be covered for the entire following month if you paid your monthly premium.

Here is an example:

  • You started a new job and now will have health insurance through your new employer that starts on October 1, 2023.
  • You must cancel your plan through the Health Connector between September 1 and September 23, 2023 in order for your plan to end by September 30 right before your job-based plan starts on October 1st so you can avoid having—and paying for—two health plans.
  • You will not be able to take action to cancel your plan between the 24th and the last day of the month.

Special note for members who make automatic payments (AutoPay)

If you make payments automatically, then you should either cancel your plan or cancel your automatic payments before it is deducted from your account on the 22nd of the month. You can cancel your automatic payments by logging into the Payment Center and Managing your AutoPay settings→

Plan cancellations can’t be retroactive

This means that if you miss the cancellation deadline in the month you want to cancel your plan, then you will not be able to cancel your plan for that month or any previous month. You will only be able to cancel for the next month. You will be responsible for paying all premiums for that month.

For example, you got a new job and now have health insurance through your new employer that started on October 1st. On October 8th you realized that you did not cancel your Health Connector plan and are covered by two health plans.

  • You will not be able to have your Health Connector plan be canceled back to October 1st.
  • You are responsible for paying the premium with the Health Connector for the month of October.
  • You will not be able to get a refund of your October premium from the Health Connector if you already paid it.
  • You will still need to take steps to cancel your Health Connector plan.
  • Your coverage will continue through the end of October and November will be the first month that you don’t have coverage through the Health Connector.

How do I cancel my coverage?

There are 5 ways to cancel your health or dental plan:

  1. Online. Find out how at https://www.mahealthconnector.org/help-center-answers/canceling-your-plan
  2. In-person at a walk-in center. Find locations and hours at https://www.mahealthconnector.org/about/contact
  3. By calling 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.
    Special note: If you are canceling your plan over the phone, the request should be made no later than 2 hours before the close of business on the 23rd of the month.
  4. By mail. Mail cancellation requests to:
    • Health Connector
      133 Portland Street, 1st floor
      Boston, MA 02114-1707
    • If you are mailing your request, please be sure to mail your request by the 10th month so that we have time to receive your request and process it before the 23rd day of the month deadline.
  • By fax. Fax cancellation requests to 617-887-8745. If you are canceling your plan by fax, the request should be made no later than the 16th of the month so that we have time to receive your request and process it before the 23rd of the month deadline.

Have a dental plan but no health insurance plan?

If you only have a dental plan, you can only make cancellation requests in-person, by phone, or in writing at this time.

Enrollment Cancellation Calendar

Date when you want your plan to end Cancel your enrollment anytime within these dates
January 31 January 1–January 23
February 28 February 1–February 23
March 31 March 1–March 23
April 30 April 1–April 23
May 31 May 1–May 23
June 30 June 1–June 23
July 31 July 1–July 23
August 31 August 1–August 23
September 30 September 1–September 23
October 31 October 1–October 23
November 30 November 1–November 23
December 31 December 1–December 23

Remember, if you are signed up for automatic payments through the Health Connector, be sure to cancel your plan or recurring payments before the 22nd of the month.

If you have set up online payments to the Health Connector through your bank’s online bill payment system, be sure to update your account to cancel those payments.

See also:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If your new job offers affordable health insurance benefits that meet the minimum value standard, then you will need to cancel your Health Connector coverage as explained in the sections above.

What is the minimum value standard?

A standard of minimum coverage that applies to job-based health plans. If your employer’s plan meets this standard and is considered “affordable,” you won’t be eligible for an Advance Premium Tax Credit if you buy health insurance through the Health Connector instead.

A health plan meets the minimum value standard if both of these apply:

  • It’s designed to pay at least 60% of the total cost of medical services for a standard population
  • Its benefits include substantial coverage of physician and inpatient hospital services

To find out if your job-based plan meets the minimum value standard, ask your employer.

If you update your application and become eligible for MassHealth coverage, your Health Connector plan will be automatically canceled at the end of the current plan’s coverage month if the change happens by the 23rd day of the month. If the change in eligible happens between the 24th and the last day of the month and you would like your Health Connector coverage to

Please note that MassHealth coverage may start right away. However, no partial month refunds are granted by the Health Connector.

If you become eligible for Medicare (usually when you turn 65) while you’re enrolled in a Health Connector health plan, you should get help right away with enrolling in Medicare coverage. If you qualify for Medicare but stay enrolled in your Health Connector health plan, you could risk missing important cost savings and could end up paying more for your health coverage.

Here are some important facts you should know about staying in your Health Connector health plan once you qualify for Medicare:

  • You’ll need to take action soon. Medicare’s initial enrollment period ends 3 months after the month of your 65th birthday.
  • You could end up paying a late enrollment penalty if you miss your initial enrollment period for getting Medicare coverage. This penalty will continue for the rest of your lifetime.
  • You won’t be eligible for help paying for your premium or the cost of health services through the Health Connector once you are eligible for Medicare. You should get a letter from us, letting you know that you no longer qualify for an Advance Premium Tax Credit or ConnectorCare plan because of your Medicare eligibility.

Once you have enrolled in Medicare, you should cancel your Health Connector coverage. Make sure you don’t have a gap in coverage, or overlapping coverage when you transition to Medicare by following instructions covered in the Cancelling Coverage section of the Member Guide.

To get free help with Medicare enrollment or questions you have about Medicare, make an appointment with a SHINE counselor. You can contact SHINE by calling 1-800-AGE-INFO (1-800-243-4636) and press 3. You can also get help through your local Council on Aging, or through the Social Security Administration. Please contact the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 for help with enrolling. You can also find more information at www.socialsecurity.gov/medicare

If you have other health insurance that meets minimum value standards, such as MassHealth (Medicaid), Medicare Part A or Part C, Veteran’s Health Benefits, or others, you should cancel your Health Connector coverage as soon as possible as explained in the sections above on how to cancel your coverage. If you were unaware of the other coverage, the Health Connector cannot refund premiums you paid for your health plan.

Also, if you received Advance Premium Tax Credits while eligible or enrolled in other coverage that counts as minimum essential coverage like Medicare Part A or Part C, MassHealth (Medicaid), job-based plan, and others, you may need to pay back some or all of the tax credits you received when you file your federal income taxes.

The Health Connector has a reinstatement processes that depends on why your coverage was canceled and your eligibility.

If you cancel your plan:

  • You have sixty (60) calendar days (plus five additional days to account for mailing of the notice) from the date of the Notice of Termination to reinstate coverage.
  • The outstanding monthly premiums will include all prior unpaid monthly premiums for the reinstated policy and the next month’s premium in advance.

Reinstatement effective date is the first day of the month following coverage end date.

  • An individual/family may be reinstated only one (1) time during a given plan year unless you receive help paying for costs such as Advance Premium Tax Credit or ConnectorCare plan.
  • If you receive help paying for costs you can reinstate more than one time during a given plan year

Requests for reinstatement of coverage may be made by contacting the Health Connector by email, phone, fax, mail or in person. The Health Connector may, in its sole discretion, waive the reinstatement fee.

  • If your coverage was canceled for a reason other than not paying your premium such as
  • Failure to submit requested proof by the deadline,
  • An error by the Health Connector, or
  • A fraudulent action by another person
  • Then, you can contact customer service by email, phone, fax, mail or in person to start the reinstatement process. In order to get reinstatement in coverage, be sure
  • Your payments are up-to-date, and
  • You have sent any required documents.

A reinstatement request must be received within 30 days of cancellation.