Two Health Updates: MassHealth & LTSS, and March 27 Immigrants & Public Benefits Training

MassHealth’s Proposal for an “Independent Assessment Entity” to Centralize Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS)

On Feb 16, 2024 MassHealth opened up the bidding process for a single entity to centralize assessment and eligibility determinations for the following five long term services and supports: Adult Day Health, Day Hab, Adult Foster Care, Group Adult Foster Care and the Personal Care Attendant programs as well as the assessments used in PACE, SCO, and One Care.  The “entity” will be using a software system being developed through an earlier bidding process initiated in 2022 that will be needed to centralize all LTSS under a single entity. Bids for the single entity are due April 26.

However, to most of the MassHealth member and advocacy organizations and LTSS providers this major restructuring of five LTSS services that enable over 220,000 elderly and disabled people to live independently came as a complete surprise. Last week MassHealth got significant pushback from the Dignity Alliance Massachusetts (DAM) Coalition, Mass HomeCare, state legislators at last weeks’ budget hearings, and, most importantly, people with disabilities.  MassHealth describes the goals of centralization and restructuring in glowing terms on its new website, and now that it has decided on its proposal and put it out to bid, is recruiting for an Implementation Advisory Council with applications due March 29. For a less rosy view of centralization, standardization and algorithms driving decision-making, read the case studies on this website. Story developing....stay tuned.