Health Announce - Sept. 17, 2024

Good Morning!

Here we are putting away summer clothes and pulling out warmer sweaters,
and Health Announce is trying out a new look!

Topics for this week’s Health Announce:

1. MassHealth’s new monthly dashboard.

2. New MCE bulletin to support access to community living.

3. Send us topic suggestions for next week’s Health Care Workgroup
meeting!

4. Don’t miss MLRI’s Catalyst for Change event this Thursday!

Be well,

Jennifer Hotchkiss Kaplan

Senior Health Law Attorney

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

1. MassHealth’s new monthly dashboard.
 

MassHealth has transitioned away from the redetermination dashboard.  Its new monthly dashboard contains updated information about MassHealth’s case load and the number of members selected monthly for renewal.  The upper right corner of the dashboard allows you to specify which age range of data you’d like to view.  The MassHealth Monthly Dashboard can be found here.

You can still access the MassHealth Redetermination Dashboard here.  Note, however, that this dashboard has not been updated since May 2024.

2. New MCE bulletin to support access to community living.

MassHealth issued Managed Care Entity (MCE) Bulletin 122, applying to PACE, One Care plans, and Senior Care Option (SCO) plans, to clarify enrollment in these MCEs by individuals currently residing in nursing facilities.  While all potential enrollees are subject to the regular, program-specific eligibility requirements, MassHealth reiterated that PACE, SCO, and One Care plans cannot require a MassHealth member (1) to live in the community for a certain period of time before enrolling, or (2) to identify a community residence before enrolling.  In other words (for fellow contract nerds, in particular!), it is not a condition precedent of enrolling in a PACE, One Care, or SCO plan for a MassHealth member to already be out of the nursing facility and living in the community.

Some advocates have reported cases where one of these three MCEs will begin the enrollment process for a nursing facility resident, but will not complete certain service/needs assessments until the member has a community address where the assessment can be completed.  This puts nursing facility residents who may need the subsidized assisted living slot or subsidized supporting housing provided by the MCE in an impossible situation: the member can’t leave the facility without an adequate community living care plan and can’t complete a community living care plan until they are living in the community.  Hopefully, this bulletin will fix this problem going forward. 

3. Send us topic suggestions for next week’s Health Care Workgroup meeting!

The Health Care Workgroup meets next Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at 3 pm. We meet the 4th Wednesday of every month, and you should already have the calendar invitation. We are looking for topics for the meeting. Please send suggestions to me (jkaplan@mlri.org) or Vicky Pulos (vpulos@mlri.org) or Kate Symmonds (ksymmonds@mlri.org).

4. Don’t miss MLRI’s Catalyst for Change event this Thursday!

This Thursday, the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute will present its Catalyst for Change Award to the Red Sox Foundation in recognition of its work to make a difference in the lives of youth, families, Veterans, and communities in need, by improving health, educational, and recreational opportunities.  In addition, MLRI will present the inaugural Gladys Vega Outstanding Community Leader Award to Dr. Geralde Gabeau, the Founder and Executive Director of Immigrant Family Service Institute (IFSI).  IFSI provides multifaceted programs and services to immigrants to expedite their successful integration into the social and economic fabric of the United States with justice and dignity.

Tickets for the event, to be held at the University of Massachusetts Club from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, are available here.