October 15, 2021 Health Update

10/15/21
 

Health Updates Oct 15, 2021

 

  1. Immigrant Health
  2. MassHealth Policies during COVID
  3. Health Connector Open Enrollment for 2022
  4. Basic Benefit Training for Oct & Nov 

 

Immigrant Health

Coming Nov 1, 2021 –Expanded scope of long term care coverage for lawfully present and PRUCOL elderly and disabled immigrants!!  Stay tuned -more to come when new guidance is published soon

Newly arriving immigrants from Afghanistan & Haiti

--Oct 2021 MassHealth Guidance on Afghan evacuees including a new category of Afghan parolees eligible for the same public benefits as refugees

-2020 MassHealth Guidance on Cuban/Haitian entrants (including parolees & asylum applicants) eligible for the same public benefits as refugees

Don’t forget to sign-on to Protecting Immigrant Families comments on the future of Public Charge.  Here is the link to the PIF comment and to the form to sign on as an organization. Organizational sign-ons are due by October 20, 2021. 

MassHealth during COVID federal public health emergency (PHE)

·         September MassHealth Self Attestation Update. Self-attestation of income, assets and disability remain acceptable forms of verification during the PHE and until further notice.

·         October MassHealth Continuous Coverage Update  More information about the modifications of continuous coverage to no longer protect  certain individuals from being downgraded from MassHealth Standard to Medicare Saving Programs (QMB, SLMB,QI).

·         October MassHealth Telehealth Update. Rate parity for telehealth services through Dec 2022.

Check this website for renewal of the federal COVID-19 Disaster/PHE which is expected any day now 

Health Connector Open Enrollment for 2022: Data Matching Solution approved by CMS

Last month the Health Connector reported that nearly 60% (128,600) of its 2021 membership in subsidized coverage could not be automatically renewed into 2022 subsidized coverage based on the lack of a successful data match with the IRS for the 2020 tax year. At this month’s board meeting the Connector reported that CMS had authorized use of a different data field for 2020 returns, and this will enable the Connector to automatically renew all but 19% of its members (45,000), a number comparable to past years. These 45,000 members will have to affirmatively update their income to continue their subsidies in 2022. The remaining members will receive new determinations in October of their continued subsidy eligibility for 2022. (Minutes of Sept 9, 2021 meeting & presentation at Oct 14, 2021 meeting not yet up but will be posted here)

Basic Benefit Training Series 2021-22

Upcoming Trainings in October and November. Register at mcle.org

CORI: Basics of the New Criminal Justice Reform Law

Tuesday, October 26, 2021, 9:30 am - 2:30 pm

 

SSI & SSDI Basics

Tuesday, November 2, 2021, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm