Health-Law-Announcements's Blog

The Governor'€™s FY 2017 Budget Proposal: Preliminary Analysis of Selected Cash and Nutrition Assistance, Child Care, Child Welfare, Health Care, Homelessness Services, Housing, State Earned Income Tax Credit and Legal Services Items

On January 27, 2016, Governor Baker released his budget proposal for fiscal year 2017 (FY 17), which is referred to as House 2. MLRI offers this preliminary analysis of selected budget topics impacting low-income residents of the Commonwealth.

Download MLRI's preliminary analysis from this link:

Apologies for the long post, a lot is happening in the world of eligibility and enrollment in MassHealth and ConnectorCare. As always please let Neil Cronin or Vicky Pulos at MLRI know how these changes are affecting your clients.

Four new enrollment events in Jan and Feb 2016: in person help from MassHealth and Connector staff to apply, re-apply and enroll in Worcester, Dorchester, Hyannis and Malden

Many provisions of Chapter 258, a 2014 law addressing access to substance use recovery services are taking effect in 2015.

1. An updated provider bulletin from MassHealth clarifies that pursuant to the new law, effective Oct 2015, neither MassHealth nor its managed care plans can require prior authorization for acute treatment e.g. admission to a detox facility or for clinical stabilization services . The treating clinician's judgment on medical necessity rules at least for acute care and  the 1st 14 days of clinical stabilization.

1. Attached and posted in the health section of masslegalservices.org is an updated version of MLRI's paper summarizing the immigrant eligibility rules in MassHealth and the Connector. The rules have not changed since January 2014. The revisions are attempting yet again to make incomprehensible rules comprehensible. Still bewildered? Please let Vicky know for future revisions.