Health Updates and Save the Date for next HCWG Meeting

Health-Law-Announcements

We'll be combining our November and December Health Care Working Group meetings, so that our next and last HCWG meeting of the year will be Wednesday, December 8 from 3-4:30pm. Please save the date. 

 

Also, some health updates:

1. Open Enrollment 2022

2. Personnel changes at MassHealth

3. Updated guidelines on gender-affirming care

4. Immigrant health

 

Open Enrollment 2022:

It's that time of year again. Health Connector open enrollment is from Nov 1, 2021 to January 23, 2022 for 2022 coverage. Click here to see the updated income tables from MassHealth and MLRI for OE 22. The Health Connector will use the 2021 FPLs for people applying for 2022 coverage. This is also the time for people enrolled in ConnectorCare or other Connector plans with Advance Premium Tax Credits in 2021 to make sure that the Health Connector has updated income information for them going into 2022, and to make sure their 2021 plan is still the right choice for next year. Meanwhile people newly eligible for ConnectorCare or with a special enrollment period still have until Nov 23, 2021 to enroll in coverage on Dec 1, 2021 using the 2020 Federal Poverty Levels (FPL).  

 

We've updated the MassLegalHelp ConnectorCare page for OE 2022. Click here for information on applying for ConnectorCare eligibility and coverage including links to the ConnectorCare overview and the Health Connector's Get an Estimate Tool.

 

Personnel Changes at MassHealth:

Congratulations to Amanda Cassel Kraft on her appointment as Assistant Secretary and MassHealth Director! Assistant Secretary Cassel Kraft had been the Acting Assistant Secretary and MassHealth Director since Daniel Tsai's departure for CMS in June, 2021. 

 

And a fond farewell  to Whitney Moyer, Chief of MassHealth Office of Long Term Services and Supports. Starting Nov 15, 2021 Susan Ciccariello will step in as interim Chief until the role is filled permanently. 

 

Updates on Gender-Affirming Care:

In September, 2021, MassHealth updated its policies on gender-affirming care coverage, expanding covered services. Click here to read MassHealth’s All Provider Bulletin (No. 323) which describes these policy improvements and links to the updated guidelines. Click here to visit MassHealth’s new webpage for members to learn about how to access gender affirming care. 

 

Immigrant Health:

On Nov 1, 2021 MassHealth expanded the scope of Family Assistance and created a new path to state-funded MassHealth Standard benefits for certain elderly and disabled immigrants who are medically eligible for long term care services. Click here for our web page on Family Assistance where we are posting links to MassHealth publications with more information about these new benefits.

 

Click here for Oct 2021 MassHealth Guidance on Afghan evacuees including a new category of Afghan parolees eligible for the same public benefits as refugees.

Click here for 2020 MassHealth Guidance on Cuban/Haitian entrants (including parolees, asylum applicants & those in removal proceedings but without a final order of removal) who are eligible for the same public benefits as refugees.

 

We are interested in monitoring the experience of immigrants getting access to these new long term care benefits as well as the experience of newly arriving Afghans and Haitians. Please let us know what you’re seeing from you clients and patients by emailing Vicky at vpulos@mlri.org