Massachusetts Restores Medicaid Coverage for Certain State Residents
Massachusetts on Wednesday launched MassHealth Essential, a Medicaid program that will cover 36,000 low-income adults, the Boston Globe reports. Under the program, adults whose incomes are below $9,000 per year will be eligible for coverage. According to the Globe, many of those eligible were cut from the state's MassHealth Basic Medicaid program in April (Greenberger, Boston Globe, 10/1). The state cut MassHealth Basic coverage for 43,000 people to reduce state Medicaid expenditures by $32 million (Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, 3/31). The income eligibility limit for MassHealth Essential is about $3,000 lower than for MassHealth Basic, the Globe reports. In addition, MassHealth Essential will cap its spending for fiscal year 2004 at $160 million. Allison Staton of the advocacy group Health Care for All said, "It's a relief that in spite of budget constraints, MassHealth coverage can be restored for extremely vulnerable people who are dealing with complicated health care issues. We just wish the coverage hadn't gone away for five months." Critics of MassHealth Essential said the state should not cut benefits for beneficiaries when it reaches the program's spending cap, expected some time in the fall. However, Donna Rheaume, spokesperson for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, said, "This is a better choice than cutting these programs" (Boston Globe, 10/1).
Notification Process Questioned
Many of the 36,000 low-income adults eligible for the new MassHealth Essential program were not notified of its existence, the Boston Herald reports. Staton said, "The state was supposed to send mailings to all those who lost their benefits. We're hearing from a lot of people who haven't received anything." Staton on Tuesday met with about 100 former MassHealth Basic beneficiaries and said only a few had reported receiving notification of the new MassHealth Essential program. Heather Bissette, a spokesperson for the state Division of Medical Assistance, said notices were sent to all 36,000 eligible adults Sept. 1 (Lasalandra, Boston Herald, 10/1).
