Health Announce: October 14, 2025

10/28/25

Topics for this week's Health Announce:

  1. Revamped MassHealth Program Advisory Committee: Meeting Today
  2. Oct 15 Webinar: Immigrants Losing ConnectorCare in 2026
  3. Week of Action: End the Shutdown and Extend Enhanced Premium Tax Credits
  4. New Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA Foundation Report
  5. MassHealth Dental: Benecare out
  6. Save the Date: Health Care Working Group Oct 22
  7. Raise Up Massachusetts Town Halls

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1. Revamped MassHealth Program Advisory Committee: Meeting Today

The first meeting of the revamped MassHealth Program Advisory Committee is today, Tuesday October 14, 2-3:30pm. The MPAC is charged with advising on MassHealth policy development and the effective administration of the MassHealth program. Watch the meeting live here.

2. Oct 15 Webinar: Immigrants Losing ConnectorCare in 2026

Join us for on Wed Oct 15, 10-11:30am, for a webinar on immigrants losing ConnectorCare in 2026. HCFA and MLRI have joined forces to bring you this webinar, informing enrollment assisters & other advocates about the upcoming termination of subsidized coverage for 36,000 members and what you can do to mitigate the harm. Register for the webinar here.

3. Week of Action: End the Shutdown and Extend Enhanced Premium Tax Credits

Families USA and Community Catalyst are hosting a week of action this week, October 14-17, to call on Congress to end the shutdown and extend the enhanced premium tax credits. Click here to learn how to engage.

Here's their lineup for the week:

Tuesday, October 14: 24 Hours of Digital Power
Email and tag your members of Congress. Share stories online. Join
Community Catalyst and Families USA's BlueSky chat on premium tax credits.

Wednesday, October 15: Connect Directly with Congress and Community
Host or attend an event with your Members of Congress or with local
supporters and experts, like Navigators. Host a direct call-in day to
Members of Congress.

Thursday, October 16: Media Madness
Community Catalyst and Families USA will provide tools throughout the week
to engage reporters and keep premium tax credits — and stories about the
impact of rising health care costs — in the news.

Friday, October 17: Building Power with Thanks: We Can’t Stop Here
Close out the week by sharing photos, emails, and stories from the actions
and keep the momentum going.

4. New Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA Foundation Report

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation published a new report on Oct 7, 2025: Faces of MassHealth: Coverage Across the Commonwealth. The report combines the analysis of aggregate MassHealth enrollment data as of June 2024 with profiles gathered by community partners. The data highlights both the scale of MassHealth and the diverse needs of the people it covers.

5. MassHealth Dental: BeneCare out

On October 1, 2025 MassHealth announced that its current Dental Third-Party Administrator (TPA), BeneCare, will be out in early 2026. MassHealth will return to its former TPA DentaQuest. The TPA is responsible for authorizing claims for dental care for MassHealth members. BeneCare’s short time as TPA was plagued with provider payment delays and other problems. MassHealth has posted FAQs and more information here.

6. Save the Date: Health Care Working Group Oct 22

Our next Health Care Working Group meeting will be October 22, 2025 from 3-4:30pm. MLRI’s immigration lawyer Jeanne Funk will be joining us. Please let us know if you have any particular immigration-related questions you'd like her to answer.

7. Raise Up Massachusetts Town Halls

Join Raise Up Massachusetts for one of their upcoming Protect Out Care Town Halls to learn more about how MA can prevent the worst of devastating federal cuts to health care, food assistance, and other critical services by tapping the rainy day fund and making global corporations pay their fair share of state taxes.

Upcoming Town Halls:

  • October 14 (6:30 -8pm): Kingston
  • October 14 (5:30-7pm): Boston
  • October 22 (5-6:30pm): Lynn
  • October 23 (5:30-8pm): Springfield
  • October 27 (5-7:00 pm) Lawrence
  • October 27 (5:30-7:30pm) Hyannis
  • October 28 (5-6pm): Brockton

To RSVP for a town hall or to get more information, visit: www.raiseupma.org/town-halls