Important Updates from the Health Connector and MassHealth - 11/1/2013

Good afternoon,

We have several important updates to share with you as we enter our second month of Open Enrollment.

Open Enrollment Update

·         As of October 31^st, we have received a total of:

o   38,055 applications initiated and 13,069  applications e-signed

o   65,610 total calls received

o   98,063,988 total website hits and 6,088,536 page views

o   422,482 total unique visitors

·         As of October 29^th we have received 69 dental applications

Update on Commonwealth Care Transition Efforts

Beginning Monday, November 4^th,  Commonwealth Care members who need to reapply for new coverage will begin receiving the attached notice informing them that the program is ending December 31^st, 2013. Please note these notices will be sent using a staggered approach, Monday through Friday between November 4^th and December 2^nd.

As you know, the Commonwealth Care population that must reapply includes the following:  

·         All individuals ages 19-20, with income 155.1-300% FPL;

·         Citizens and Qualified Aliens, above age 21, with income 138.1-300% FPL; and

·         Aliens with Special Status, above age 21, with income 0-300% FPL.

Members who fall outside of the above criteria will be automatically transitioned into MassHealth and will not receive a termination notice. Instead, this population will be sent an upgrade notification during the month of December.  They do not need to reapply.

If a person calls regarding this closing notice, please encourage them to reapply for new coverage through MAhealthconnector.org as soon as possible to avoid a gap in coverage as these individuals must apply, enroll, and pay their first premium by December 23^rd, 2013 to ensure new coverage effective by January 1^st, 2014.   

What are the Advantages to the Online Application:

We sincerely appreciate everything you are doing to ensure that patients, members, and clients apply for healthcare coverage through this busy time. Over the last couple of weeks, our new website has stabilized and offers consumers unprecedented functionality that accepts applications online – providing consumers with greater access to new choices, benefits and expanded subsidies. While you may encounter a snag with our system here and there, the system is performing and offers you the functionality needed to assist consumers in applying for health and dental coverage.

While reports of some technical issues remain, our technical teams are working day and night to thoroughly address reported issues, and we will continue to keep you apprised of these developments. We encourage everyone to continue to complete applications online as this approach allows applicants to instantly verify required information, enabling a more efficient determination and enrollment. If you do encounter an error that impedes your ability to perform your enrollment assistance function, please immediately inform your appropriate contact or email MAhealthconnectorUpdates@state.ma.us.   

Important Reminder: Regarding Fax Number for Paper Applications

A fax number for the Verifications and Subsidized Application (Non-Group), listed on a Customer Service Information slide for the September training, was incorrect. The correct fax number is 617-887-8770. The incorrect number was not a number that could receive faxes. 

IMPORTANT: If you have faxed paper applications previously to the incorrect number, you must re-fax them to the correct number.

Please be sure to update any and all communications or publications in your organization to include the correct fax number. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you or your patients/clients. 

Additional Direct Mailing Update

·         Open Enrollment Packets

o   Approximately 130,000 Commonwealth Care, Commonwealth Choice members with a December 31^st end date, YAP, CMSP, ERDs were mailed open enrollment packets between October 15^th and October 24^th

o   Approximately 24,500 Commonwealth Choice members with the following ends dates, January 31^st, February 28^th and March 31^st  will be mailed November 4^th-5^th

o   Approximately 90 employers in Business Express with a December 31^st end date were mailed an open enrolment packet today, November 1^st

Thank you for your continued support and assistance during this critical time,

The Health Connector and MassHealth