Life Insurance And Mass Health: Incompatible Or Not?

In Massachusetts, MassHealth combines Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) into a single program. To be eligible for MassHealth, you must be a resident of Massachusetts, meet the citizenship or immigration status requirements, and be financially eligible. There is no information suggesting that having life insurance makes one ineligible for MassHealth. However, MassHealth may conduct information matches with state and federal agencies, and if you do not provide this information, you may be considered for fewer benefits.

Qualifying for MassHealth

To qualify for MassHealth, you must be a resident of Massachusetts. You meet the residency requirements if you live in Massachusetts and either intend to reside in the state, with or without a fixed address, or have entered Massachusetts with a job commitment or seeking employment. If you are visiting Massachusetts for personal pleasure or to receive medical care in a setting other than a nursing facility, you do not meet the residency requirements.

In addition to residency, your citizenship or immigration status must be verified to qualify for MassHealth. MassHealth may conduct information matches with state and federal agencies. If you do not provide this information, you may be considered for fewer benefits. If electronic sources are unable to verify your declared status, you may be asked to provide documentation.

Furthermore, you must be financially eligible to qualify for MassHealth. To determine if you meet the financial requirements, MassHealth will consider your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) and your household composition. The full list of eligibility factors can be found in the MassHealth Member Regulations.

Massachusetts law requires that all residents have health insurance. You may face tax penalties if you are uninsured or if your insurance coverage does not meet the state's Minimum Creditable Coverage (MCC) standards. MCC-compliant plans include coverage for a comprehensive set of services such as doctor visits, hospital admissions, emergency services, mental health and substance abuse services, and prescription drug coverage.

Applying for MassHealth

To apply for MassHealth, you must be a resident of Massachusetts. You meet the residency requirements if you live in Massachusetts and either intend to reside in the state, with or without a fixed address, or have entered Massachusetts with a job commitment or seeking employment.

You can apply for MassHealth online by creating an MA Login account. You can also call the MassHealth Customer Service Center at (800) 841-2900. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers self-service 24 hours a day in English and Spanish. Interpreter services are available.

To apply, you may need to provide the following information and documents:

• Social Security numbers for every household member who is applying
• Federal tax returns, if you file them
• Information about citizenship or national status or immigration status
• Employer and income information for everyone in your household (for example, from pay stubs or wage statements)
• Information about any job-related or other health insurance that you are currently enrolled in or have access to

Massachusetts law requires that all residents have health insurance, and you may face tax penalties if you are uninsured or your insurance coverage does not meet state coverage standards.

MassHealth eligibility

To be eligible for MassHealth, you must be a resident of Massachusetts. You meet the residency requirements if you live in Massachusetts and either intend to reside in the state, with or without a fixed address, or have entered the state with a job commitment or seeking employment. You do not meet the residency requirements for MassHealth if you are visiting Massachusetts for personal pleasure or to receive medical care in a setting other than a nursing facility.

To get the most MassHealth coverage, your citizenship or satisfactory immigration status must be verified. MassHealth may conduct information matches with state and federal agencies to verify your declared status. If electronic sources are unable to verify your status, you may be asked to provide documentation.

In addition to being a resident of Massachusetts, you must also be financially eligible to qualify for MassHealth. To determine if you meet the financial requirements, MassHealth will consider your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) and who is in your household.

Massachusetts law requires that all residents have health insurance. You may face tax penalties if you are uninsured or if your insurance coverage does not meet the state's Minimum Creditable Coverage (MCC) requirements. MCC is the minimum level of benefits that you need to have to be considered insured and avoid tax penalties in Massachusetts. These benefits include coverage for a comprehensive set of services, such as doctor visits, hospital admissions, emergency services, mental health and substance abuse services, and prescription drug coverage.

Losing MassHealth coverage

MassHealth is a government-funded health insurance program in Massachusetts that combines Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). During the Covid-19 public health emergency, which started in early 2020 and ended in May 2023, federal law prohibited states from removing people from Medicaid. As a result, the number of MassHealth enrollees increased by approximately 500,000 people. With the end of the federal coverage protections, more than half of those people are expected to lose their MassHealth eligibility.

To prevent losing MassHealth coverage, it is important to update your personal information and complete the redetermination process. This process involves renewing eligibility for MassHealth members, and if eligibility cannot be renewed through data matching, beneficiaries are sent a blue envelope with a notice to be completed and returned by a deadline. Failing to respond to this blue envelope is a common reason why people lose their MassHealth coverage.

To assist with the redetermination process, MassHealth and the Massachusetts Health Connector have partnered with Health Care for All and other community organizations. These organizations provide resources and support, knocking on doors and talking to members in communities across the state about updating their personal information and completing the redetermination process. They also help individuals figure out if they are going to lose MassHealth and what other insurance options are available.

In addition, MassHealth will issue weekly reports to insurers covering underserved populations about their members who are starting the renewal process, those whose federal coverage protections are expiring, and those who have not responded to state outreach and may be at risk of losing coverage for administrative reasons. This data will assist insurers in targeted outreach communications to those at the highest risk of becoming uninsured.

Despite these efforts, there is still a possibility that some Massachusetts residents will lose coverage. Therefore, it is important for individuals to stay vigilant and proactive in updating their information and completing the redetermination process to maintain their MassHealth coverage.

MassHealth renewal

MassHealth is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts's official website for health insurance. It is a requirement for Massachusetts residents to have health insurance, and residents may face tax penalties if they are uninsured.

Every year, MassHealth reviews its members to ensure they still qualify for coverage. If you have received a notice saying you must renew, respond by the due date listed in your renewal notice, or your benefits might decrease or end. The renewal notice will be sent in a blue envelope, while additional important notices or requests for information may arrive in white envelopes.

The easiest and fastest way to renew your MassHealth coverage is online with your MA Login Account. If you don't have an account, use the web link provided in your renewal notice to create one or call (844) 365-1841 (TDD/TTY: 711). If you have an account but don't remember your login details, you can reset them on the website.

If you are 65 or older, your renewal notice may have an e-Submission number, which means you are eligible to fill out your Renewal Application online and submit it electronically through MassHealth eSubmission. If your renewal notice does not contain an e-Submission number, please submit your Renewal Application by mail, fax, or in person.

Make sure to update your address, phone number, email, household, job, income, disability status, or pregnancy information with MassHealth.

If you lose your MassHealth coverage, you can enroll in a plan with the Health Connector outside of the regular Open Enrollment Period as it is considered a Qualifying Life Event (QLE).

Frequently asked questions