last updated August 18, 2009

Approximately 31,000 Commonwealth Care members who are legal immigrants face termination of their health coverage as a result of the fiscal year 2010 state budget. As of September 1, they will either be terminated from Commonwealth Care and given access to the Health Safety Net, or, if they are otherwise MassHealth-eligible, downgraded to MassHealth Limited (emergency-only coverage).

Who is affected:

These changes do not affect all immigrants on Commonwealth Care. Anyone considered a "qualified alien" will stay on Commonwealth Care under the current FY 2010 state budget. However, anyone who is considered an "Alien With Special Status" (AWSS) could lose their Commonwealth Care coverage.

Affected Commonwealth Care members were mailed official notice of the change during the week of August 10. They should have received both a letter from Secretary JudyAnn Bigby in English, and a termination or downgrade notice from MassHealth in either English or Spanish.

What to do:

• Make sure that MassHealth has the correct immigration status of anyone who receives a letter, since some "qualified" people may be appearing in the system as "AWSS."

• When you call MassHealth to update information, ask to speak with an immigration specialist; certain staff have received specific training recently.

• Resources from the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) can help:
• A concise, 2-page Immigrant Eligibility Checklist (PDF)
• A 5-page Tip Sheet (PDF) with further details

• Members with disabilities may be eligible for more comprehensive coverage. People in this situation should report their disability to MassHealth (to establish a start date for retroactive coverage) and file the Disability Supplement (PDF).

Background information:

The fiscal year 2010 state budget proposed by the Massachusetts legislature on June 19, 2009 cut Commonwealth Coverage for approximately 30,000 legal immigrants on Commonwealth Care. These members were mailed a July 1 notice from the Commonwealth Connector (PDF) stating that, under proposed changes to state law, they would lose their Commonwealth Care benefits as of August 1. In actuality, due to the timing of the budget process, their Commonwealth Care coverage was continued through August 31.

When Governor Patrick signed the budget on June 29, he proposed $70 million to offer some form of health coverage to those members who would be cut. This coverage was intended to be in effect from September 1, 2009 through June 30, 2010. The legislature partially accepted the Governor’s proposal on July 29, setting aside $40 million for the Commonwealth Care members who will lose coverage. This is being used to create a new type of health plan from CeltiCare that will be administered by the Commonwealth Connector.

For futher details, please see:

• The MIRA Coalition's webpage of immigrant health care updates
• Summaries on Health Health Care For All’s blog of both the legislature’s vote to allocate $40 million and Governor Patrick's original proposal of $70 million for alternative coverage
• The official Questions and Answers from the Commonwealth Connector (PDF)