Health Announce: June 30, 2025

07/01/25

Topics for this week’s Health Announce:

  1. New phone banking opportunities – Defend Medicaid Now!
  2. State Legislature likely to approve FY 2026 budget today.
  3. Termination of Haitian TPS effective September 2, 2025.
  4. New RFR for “Public Assessor” -- formerly known as the Independent Assessment Entity.
  5. All Health Connector walk-in centers officially closed.

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On this date in history, Lena Horne, the great American singer, actress, and civil rights activist, was born in Brooklyn, NY (June 30, 1917). Known for her vocal styling and compelling stage presence, Lena Horne was equally a star on screen, in nightclubs, and in theater.

If current events have you down, and you are someone who likes to listen to music that matches your mood, try Stormy Weather (1943). But if you are someone who uses music to pick you up out of the doldrums, here's If You Believe from The Wiz.

Be well,

Health Law Unit
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

1. 🚨 New phone banking opportunities – Defend Medicaid Now! 

The destructive and cruel reconciliation bill pushed by the Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress is on the brink of passage. The Senate is currently in the “vote-a-rama” phase of the budget process, where senators can introduce an unlimited number of amendments and vote on them in succession. While Democrats intend to introduce many amendments addressing the harmful policies in the bill, they lack the votes for any to pass. Trump continues to pressure Republicans to get him a bill to sign by July 4th.

It is critical that we keep the pressure on persuadable Republican Senators to vote against this bill. Please join Health Care for All and SEIU in calling constituents in key states and ask them to tell their Senators to oppose any cuts to health care. This week’s phone banking opportunities are:

  • Monday, June 30th 11am-1pm & 5-7pm
  • Tuesday, July 1st 11am-1pm & 5-7pm
  • Wednesday, July 2nd 11am-1pm & 5-7pm

2. State Legislature likely to approve FY 2026 budget today.

Late Sunday night, June 29, 2025, conference committee posted the fiscal year 2026 annual budget (H.4240) – ahead of the July 1st deadline for the first time in years. Under the new joint rules adopted last week, lawmakers must wait 24 hours to consider the conference bill (which posted Sunday afternoon around 3:30 pm).

Under the conference bill, MassHealth spending increases for FY26 by $2 billion, to a total of $22.1 billion to support programmatic funding -- less than the amount proposed by the Governor in House 1 ($22.6 billion). Some details in the conference budget:

  • The conference budget includes the Senate Ways and Means (SWM) language authorizing the Personal Care Attendant (PCA) workgroup, initially created in the FY 25 budget bill, to continue their work developing recommendations for the long-term sustainability of the PCA program and to specifically consider cost growth targets and how to achieve those targets. (Section 111) While the House Ways and Means (HWM) language specifically requiring the PCA program to maintain the same eligibility criteria and level of services in FY 26 as were available in FY 25 was not included, advocates believe that Section 111’s language directing EOHHS to establish an implementation plan to ensure the long-term sustainability and cost containment of the PCA program is sufficient to protect both current PCA consumers and the long-term sustainability of the program.
  • The line item for MassHealth Fee for Service Payments (4000-0700) was reduced by $300 million in the conference budget. However, because EOHHS has the authority to transfer funds between different accounts, in practice, this translates to a $300 million reduction in overall MassHealth funding.
  • The Pappas Rehabilitation Center for Children will remain open. (4590-0915) The conference budget provides $31 million to keep Pappas fully funded. Additionally, a special legislative commission was created to investigate and study the future of Pappas, with a report due no later than December 31, 2026. (Section 112)
  • The Conference bill also continues the Connector Care pilot for those from 300-500% FPL for calendar year 2027. (Sections 96-98)

3. Termination of Haitian TPS effective September 2, 2025.

On February 20, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti would end on August 3, 2025. On Friday, June 27, 2025, DHS announced that, while TPS designation for Haiti ends on August 3rd, the termination would be effective on September 2, 2025. This termination puts up to 500,000 Haitians across the country at risk of deportation and nearly 15,000 Haitians in Massachusetts with TPS status. However, litigation is still pending in federal court challenging DHS’s earlier action reducing the duration of Haitian TPS.

4. New RFR for “Public Assessor” -- formerly known as the Independent Assessment Entity.

Last week, on June 25, 2025, EOHHS posted an amended request for response (RFR) on what was originally called the Independent Assessment Entity (IAE). The new RFR comprises two components: (1) Assessor Training and Shared Tools and (2) Public Assessor Function. Advocates support the procurement of Component 1, which is aimed at supporting current community-based providers and improving member experience, specifically around consistency and quality of assessments across the system. However, there are strong objections to Component 2, which creates a single, state-wide entity to perform clinical assessments for MassHealth members seeking LTSS services – much like the original IAE. The bid opening date is October 24, 2025.

5. All Health Connector walk-in centers officially closed.

As of June 27, 2025, all Health Connector walk-in center locations have been closed. The last one, located in Boston at 133 Portland Street, closed last Friday. The Health Connector has published a flyer to guide members on alternate ways to pay premiums and its Call Centers and in-person assistance from Navigators and Certified Enrollment Counselors remain available.