Massachusetts MassHealth Program Reaches Enrollment Cap, New Applicants Put on Waiting List

Massachusetts residents applying for the MassHealth Essentials program are being put on a waiting list, after the state temporarily halted enrollment when the program reached its cap of 36,000 participants Monday, the Boston Globe reports. The cap, which was set by the state, was established to keep the program's costs under $160 million, according to the Globe. Gov. Mitt Romney (R), who last month announced a multifaceted proposal to provide health insurance to 460,000 uninsured residents, asked last week for federal permission to enroll more residents in the program but has not yet received an answer, according to Dick Powers, spokesperson for the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services. Enrolling as many as 106,000 eligible residents in Medicaid programs is a key element of Romney's plan. Powers said more residents could be enrolled in MassHealth Essentials without going over budget, but the administration found out just last week that it needs to formally apply for the expansion. Previously, the administration had been seeking informal approval. "We would like approval tomorrow, but the ball is not in our court," Powers said. Vicky Pulos, an advocate at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, said, "It's a pity that a week before Christmas, people are going to be put on a waiting list instead of getting health care. The state knew enrollment was moving closer and closer to the 36,000 cutoff. Given the governor's stated commitment to cover the uninsured and find the Medicaid-eligible among the uninsured, this is something that should have been addressed months ago" (Dembner/Greenberger, Boston Globe, 12/16).