MassHealth Protection Notices During COVID-19

This is a copy of the "protection notice" that MassHealth is sending out to certain beneficiaries who had been sent a renewal form, request for information or reported a change. It notifies them that they are still enrolled in their current coverage, not because they are eligible for it, but because they are protected during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) from losing coverage. The notice goes on to say that they will be notified when the PHE ends and given an opportunity to update their information, and at that time they will get a decision notice about what they are eligible for based on their current circumstances. It also explains that during the PHE, people can verify most eligibility factors, including income and assets by "self-attestation" rather than with documentary proof.

People who receive a protection notice and are not in fact eligible for their current coverage should be sure to keep MassHealth informed of their current mailing address Right now people are protected from termination for not returning required forms, but that won't be true when the COVID 19 PHE and the protection end. 

People who receive a protection notice and are in fact eligible for their current coverage, may want to find out why a "protection" was needed.  If they can supply any missing information and correct any outdated or erroneous information in the MassHealth files in order to get a regular notice finding them eligible for coverage, it's better to do it now. Doing it now will avoid having to do it later when the PHE ends and MassHealth is dealing with thousands of people whose protection has ended.