The federally mandated program has so far closely tracked Gov. Maura Healey’s administration’s projections of losing 300,000 to 400,000 members. The State House News Service’s Chris Lisinski reported on this and discusses what officials are saying about people who lost coverage.
Children’s Health Insurance and Medications Program Eligibility for All MassHealth Members (Photo: News Headlines Global)
According to Chris Lisinski, considering that they live in Massachusetts, where state law mandates everyone to obtain health insurance or risk a tax penalty, they effectively have two, possibly three options. People who are kicked from MassHealth can enroll in a private employer-sponsored plan. They can go to the Health Connector, the state-run marketplace, and choose a non-subsidized plan or, if they qualify, a subsidized plan.
In the recent published article by Connecticut Public, most people in Massachusetts are losing coverage in Children’s Health Insurance and Medications Program because they are no longer eligible. Remember that the federal government prohibited states from redetermining and removing individuals from their Medicaid rolls during the COVID-19 outbreak. So it’s been a few years, and people’s lives may have altered since they originally joined.
However, a significant [number] of people are losing Children’s Health Insurance and Medications Program coverage because they simply do not answer to state inquiries or are unable to provide the type of information required to determine whether they are still eligible or not.
Currently, 40% to 45% of people falls into this group. State officials anticipate that number will increase as they continue to reach out to more people.
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According to Chris Lisinski, community colleges have been experiencing enrollment declines and fighting demographic trends for years, and a new program called MassReconnect is one way for them to attract new students.
According to Newsbreak, he believe that up to 8,000 students will join in MassReconnect in the first year, with the number potentially increasing in consecutive years.
This is something that will undoubtedly increase interest in these schools.
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