Understanding immigrants' eligibility for MassHealth & other subsidized coverage, March 2024

Date:
Author:
Vicky Pulos, MLRI

This  updated March 2024 memo summarizes the current immigrant eligibility rules that MassHealth and the Health Connector use in making decisions about what kinds of coverage non-citizens with different kinds of status can receive.

The update reflects federal law changes in 2021 and 2022 regarding benefit eligibility for Afghans and Ukrainians granted humanitarian parole within certain dates.  It includes Appendices listing different categories of immigrants eligible for different kinds of benefits under health program rules. Two tables summarize the information. It includes citations to state & federal regulations along with links to other resources.

If you know a client's immigration status, use the Find function to see in which Appendix that kind of status is shown, then use the information about whether the status is Qualified, Qualified Barred, Non-Qualified Lawfully Present or PRUCOL in Table 2 to see what kinds of health benefits  the individual may be able to receive based on their immigration status and other factors shown on the Table.