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Health-Law-Announcements's Blog

The latest health law updates for advocates and social service providers in Massachusetts.

Despite the great leadership of our chief sponsor, Rep Christine Barber, and the support of 43 co-sponsors, the amendment (#1119) to preserve the pre-April 1st Health Safety Net rules, and to fund the program with an additional $15 million was not included in the consolidated amendment for Health and Human Services on Tuesday evening.

This means we will have to try to get the amendment adopted in the Senate budget, and then favorably dealt with in the conference committee. We'll keep plugging.

Attached please find a fact sheet on Representative Christine Barber's amendment preserving the Health Safety Net.

ACTION ITEM: Please call your Representative and ask him/her to co-sponsor Rep. Barber's amendment to protect eligibility and funding of the Health Safety Net.

Just wanted to send a quick note to let you know that in response to advocates' and the Legislature's advocacy efforts, EOHHS is delaying the Health Safety Net regulatory changes that were set to go into effect today until June 1st.

In addition, the amendment we had been working on with the Legislature to forestall the cuts until June 30th did not make it into the final version of the FY2016 supplemental budget.

Please join us in Boston on April 7 for another info-packed day of training on eligibility for health coverage for people under age 65 (the elder law training is coming up on April 21).

The flyer is attached. You can register on line in advance or at the door on the day of the training.

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Hope to see you there!

1. New Home Health Agency Prior Authorization requirements. MassHealth has issued a transmittal letter & a provider bulletin with the following changes taking effect March 1:

  • PA is now required for home nursing for more than 30 visits in 90 day period, & more than 240 units of home health aide services in 90 day period. 130 CMR 403.413

Blowing a Hole in the Health Safety Net: EOHHS Notice of Proposed Rules

Not wasting any time, or even waiting for the beginning of the next fiscal year, the Baker Administration has come out with draft regulations at http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/docs/eohhs/eohhs-regs/hsn-613-redline.pdf  which dramatically cutback on  Health Safety Net free-care for the poor.

The Governor'€™s FY 2017 Budget Proposal: Preliminary Analysis of Selected Cash and Nutrition Assistance, Child Care, Child Welfare, Health Care, Homelessness Services, Housing, State Earned Income Tax Credit and Legal Services Items

On January 27, 2016, Governor Baker released his budget proposal for fiscal year 2017 (FY 17), which is referred to as House 2. MLRI offers this preliminary analysis of selected budget topics impacting low-income residents of the Commonwealth.

Download MLRI's preliminary analysis from this link:

Attached in English and Spanish is a notice of 4 upcoming enrollment events where people needing to apply or reapply/renew MassHealth coverage can get in-person help from MassHealth and Connector staff and certified enrollment assisters.  If your organization serves people in Worcester, Dorchester, Hyannis or Malden, please consider posting the flyer in your waiting room and/or distributing it to community groups with which you work.
 
  • Jan. 21 Worcester
  • Jan. 27 Dorchester
  • Feb 4 Hyannis

Apologies for the long post, a lot is happening in the world of eligibility and enrollment in MassHealth and ConnectorCare. As always please let Neil Cronin or Vicky Pulos at MLRI know how these changes are affecting your clients.

Four new enrollment events in Jan and Feb 2016: in person help from MassHealth and Connector staff to apply, re-apply and enroll in Worcester, Dorchester, Hyannis and Malden

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