Immigrant Health

Attached is the  MassHealth & Health Connector Learning Series Update for the Spring 2024 Massachusetts Health Training Forum (MTF). In the MassHealth section it includes information about the status of various policies in place during the unwinding. Some are ending in 2024 in April, June…

On March 28, 2024 MassHealth updated its language plan for 2024-2025.  Attached below is the prior LAP for 21-23 and the 24-25 plan. The link below is to the 24-25 plan. Also see Governor Healy's Executive Order 615 (Sept 13, 2023) Promoting Access to Government Services and Information by…

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…

A list of health programs available to all Massachusetts residents regardless of US citizenship or immigration status with a short description of each program and information on how to apply; in English, Spanish & Portuguese. Revised in March 2024 with updated COVID-19 information. 

This paper flags  Eligibility Operations Memos issued in 2022 and 2023 where MassHealth has issued an update, revision or correction and explains what changed. The updated EOMs all described expanded coverage in CommonHealth, State-funded Standard for certain non-citizens, and 12-months…

Attached are slides of this Jan 2024 webinar in the Massachusetts Health Training Form (MTF) Learnings Series developed by MassHealth and the Health Connector called Understanding  Citizenship and Immigration Requirements for Health Programs.  A YouTube recording of the webinar is…

This page describes an immigration policy called Public Charge. It is generally safe to get benefits you and your family are eligible for. See Q&As below. This information is not legal advice. If you have questions, contact an immigration attorney. To see which immigrants are eligible for…

Updated USCIS Resource Page on Public Charge reflecting effective date of Dec 2022 public charge rule & recent Executive Orders. In the words of USCIS " we are committed to restoring trust in our legal immigration system and identifying excessive or unjustified administrative and other…

Attached is an email communication from MassHealth and the Health Connector on May 3,  2022 about health coverage available to Ukrainians now living in Massachusetts and an April 6, 2022 email communication with information on different subjects including eligibility of people…

This announcement distributed to the Mass. Health Care Training Form email list on April 6, 2022, describes several upgrades to the HIX Eligibility System including- A new option to allow people who will be eligible for ConnectorCare  with income of 150% FPL or less to check a box to be…

This Feb 2022 Eligibility Operations Memo from the Office of Medicaid provides information on how to identify Cuban-Haitian entrants who are "qualifed aliens" eligible for medical benefits on the same terms as US citizens. It updates an earlier June 2020 El Ops Memo to include examples of…

This updated Feb 2022  Eligibility Operations Memo describes the MassHealth eligible immigration category of people who are "permanently residing in the US under color of law" (PRUCOL) and gives examples of documents that can be used to verify an that a non-citizen has satisfies the…

Feb 2022 UPDATED MassHealth Guidance on Cuban-Haitian Entrants https://www.mass.gov/doc/eom-22-03-eligibility-rules-for-cuban-and-haitian-entrants-0/download  Background Information on Newly Arriving Haitians Recently, hundreds of Haitian families, many with children, have arrived in…

MassHealth Family Assistance provides coverage for different groups including 100% state-funded coverage for certain lawfully present and PRUCOL immigrants who are not eligible for federally reimbursed Medicaid. Until recently, Family Assistance included few long term services and supports.…

Massachusetts will soon be home to several thousand newly arriving Afghans. Most should be eligible for health coverage in MassHealth Standard or CarePlus. We have created this google doc to keep you abreast of the latest information we have to help new arrivals receive the correct…

Attached are the comments submitted by MLRI to the Department of Homeland Security in response to the proposed public charge regulation.

The AG’s Office issued  guidance following inquiries from health care providers and public school officials about the impact of federal immigration policies and executive orders on patients and students.“Parents should never be afraid to send their children to school, and people…

Attached is an All Provider Bulletin 269 (May 2017) describing a process for health care providers who delivered emergency services to someone on MassHealth Limited but whose claim for payment was denied to resubmit the bill with a doctor's certification that the services provided were for…

Fact sheet for immigrants about applying for health insurance or seeking heath care. In English and Spanish.

Attached is the report of a survey of bilingual enrollment assisters and advocates conducted by MLRI on the experience of Limited English Proficient  (LEP) MassHealth applicants and members attempting to communicate with MassHealth by telephone. The survey results identified multiple barriers…

Attached are MLRI comments on MassHealth's Draft Language Access Plan. The Medicaid agency is required by law to provide meaningful access to its services to individuals who are not proficient in English. A language access plan should asses the language needs of the eligible population and…

 Information from NILC about eligibility and other rules governing immigrants’ access to federal and state public benefits programs, including SSI.

EOHHS has released proposed rules that will significantly restrict eligible services in the Health Safety Net as early as April 1. The rules can take effect only after a public notice and comment period. The attached FAQ  describes the HSN program, the proposed cuts, the rationale for the cuts…

The on-line application is currently only available in English but if you select a language in the upper right hand corner of the screen much of the information on mahealthconnector.org has been translated into other languages . Paper applications are available in English or Spanish.…

We are still working on tracking down the source of persistent eligibility errors affecting immigrants. It looks like one source of the problems may be when information from paper application forms are entered into the computer by the state. In this alert, we show what the computer screen menus…

Please help us identify lawfully present immigrants who were incorrectly denied benefits by the Connector & received only MassHealth Limited or Health Safety Net from MassHealth.    Attached is an alert for affected immigrants including information about how to get legal…

Several overviews, in English and Spanish.

Overview A health policy brief in UCLA Center for Health Policy Research condenses the findings of a study aimed at surveying communication barriers experienced by Limited English Proficiency (“LEP”) patients enrolled in California’s Health Maintenance Organizations…

In its Weekly email update to the MassHealth Enrollment Centers, the MassHealth Training Unit confirms that specialty workers with an H1B visa status & their H4 dependants are considered Permanently Residing Under Color of Law/Lawfully Present for purposes of MassHealth &…

In a unanimous decision, the SJC ruled that a 2009 state law excluding certain legal immigrants from eligibility for Commonwealth Care was unconstitutional. Finch II, 461 Mass. 232 (2012).  In an earlier ruling , the court found that the state law  was subject to strict scrutiny under…

Letter from CMS to the states describing new category of "legally residing" immigrant pregnant women & children who can be treated as fully eligible for Medicaid 

Attached is Health Law Advocates's complaint challenging on equal protection grounds state law dropping nonfederally eligible immigrants from Commonwealth Care in FY 2010. More information about the case can be found on the Health Law Advocates website (see link below). (Note…

Even though the office of Medicaid has not yet published regulations on the matter, under the provisions of the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) various classes of AWSS immigrants (five year barred immigrants) have been upgraded to better programs for health…

On Feb 4, 2009 President Obama signed the Children's Health Insurance Reauthorization into law. MLRI analyzes some of the new options for states to improve coverage for children in Medicaid and CHIP under the new law.

2005 MassHealth "Pharmacy Facts" describing scope of emergency drug coverage in MassHealth Limited & how pharmacies should bill

2005 remittance advice describing scope of emergency dental coverage in MassHealth Limited

Copy of 2004 remittance advice on coverage of renal dialysis in MassHealth Limited

2002 MassHealth eligibility letters & regulations providing long term care coverage to certain "special status" immigrant children in medical institutions

  Due to changes in federal law, certain Iraqi and Afghan aliens may qualify for MassHealth programs as Qualified Aliens.    See updated Oct 2021 guidance on Afghan…

Updated 2007 version intentended for health care providers

This is a 1985 decision of the SJC analyzing the meaning of the phrase "permanently residing under color of law" (PRUCOL) as it was then used in federal Medicaid regulations. Federal Medicaid has not used the phrase PRUCOL since Congress enacted  PRWORA in 1996, but PRUCOLis still used in state…