Health Announce: August 18, 2025

08/18/25

Topics for this week’s Health Announce:

  1. Effective January 1, 2026 – ConnectorCare Plan Types 1 and 3D to end.
  2. New Guidance for Employers Regarding Immigration and Work Authorization.
  3. Schedule now available for the Basic Benefits Trainings in September through December 2025.
  4. Reconciliation Bill resource: implementation dates, funding, and authorities for Medicaid and other health provision.

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On this day, August 18, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, granting women the right to vote. Up until the passage of the 19th Amendment, women had the right to vote in only 23 states -- and in some states, only partial voting rights. Even then, a few legal challenges were mounted to stop its implementation, and some states only partially implemented the right. While the campaign for women's suffrage is to be celebrated, we must also recognize its ugly side: the most prominent suffragettes advocated only for white women's right to vote. The cause was marred by white supremacy. In building our campaigns to expand people's rights, we should acknowledge the flaws of past fights in order to progress to the better future.


Be well,

Health Law Unit
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

1. Effective January 1, 2026 – ConnectorCare Plan Types 1 and 3D to end.

On August 14, 2025, the Health Connector announced that effective January 1, 2026, it will be eliminating ConnectorCare Plan Type 1 and -- because of the expiration of the enhanced federal tax credits -- Plan Type 3D. Plan Type 1 now covers 34,000 lawfully present immigrants with income of 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) or less. Plan Type 3D was part of a pilot program initiated in 2024 to extend ConnectorCare to people with income of 300-500% FPL. Plan Type 3D now enrolls 19,000 US citizens and lawfully present immigrants with income of 400%-500% FPL. The announcement is posted on the MA Health Care Training Forum (MTF).

Impacted members began receiving notices last week. This is one of the earliest coverage losses that is a direct result of the GOP Reconciliation megabill signed into law on July 4, 2025. In the short term, we are working on a fact sheet identifying other coverage options for people losing ConnectorCare Plan Type 1 that will be ready for distribution soon.

2. New Guidance for Employers Regarding Immigration and Work Authorization.

A new document produced by the state provides guidance to employers on immigration status & work authorization in light of the current complex situation of temporary statuses being revoked and then reinstated amid ongoing court challenges. It’s a confusing situation for MassHealth and ConnectorCare eligibility purposes too. Enrollment assisters, like employers, should find the new guidance helpful. It is not safe to assume that because the date on an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), or EAD Card, has expired that work authorization has expired. The online system used by MassHealth and the Health Connector should be up to date most of the time, but there may be some lag time before it reflects the most recent developments. And even if an EAD on one basis has expired, it may be that the individual has an eligible immigration status on some other basis.

3. Schedule now available for the Basic Benefits Trainings in September through December 2025.

The fall schedule for the first five trainings in the basic benefits training series are available, listed below. Go to the MCLE website to register. All programs are available live (online and, in come cases, in person at MCLE’s Boston conference center), as well as on demand webcast.

4. Reconciliation Bill resource: implementation dates, funding, and authorities for Medicaid and other health provision.

The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) has released tables listing the key provisions in the GOP Reconciliation Act affecting Medicaid, Medicare, and the ACA Marketplace, along with implementation dates, summaries, funding, and authorities. NHeLP’s website has additional resources, including upcoming webinars such as The Role of Due Process (Sept. 25, 2025) and The Impact on People with Disabilities (Oct. 23, 2025).