Individual Mandate

How to restore outreach and enrollment in the House budget

Blog - April 16, 2009 - 2:35pm - Meg Kroeplin - Community Partners - Amherst

Representatives John Scibak (Hadley, South Hadley, Easthampton) and James O’Day (West Boylston, Worcester) have proposed amendments to restore the line item and the funding for outreach and enrollment. Co-sponsors are needed by noon tomorrow and amendments must be submitted by 5pm tomorrow. The more co-sponsors sign on to these amendments, the more likely funding is to be restored.

2009 Affordability Schedule is out

News - Submitted by Laura at CP on April 8, 2009 - 1:00pm.

Overall, standards for 2009 are less stringent than they were in 2008.

February 6 Western HAN: Social Security streamlines

Blog - March 5, 2009 - 12:33pm - Community Partners - Amherst

This month, outreach workers were gratified to hear that the importance of their work is being recognized nationally – in a new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report on effective ways to enroll and retain children in the Children's Health Insurance Program, and in the CHIP reauthorization legislation itself – but at the same time they are struggling with funding cuts to their own programs and those they work with.

Free help for clients filing state and federal tax forms

News - Submitted by Meg at CP on February 26, 2009 - 1:38pm.

Sites throughout the Commonwealth offer free help to low- and moderate-income Massachusetts residents.

EOHHS expands outreach and enrollment grants

News - Submitted by Meg at CP on November 17, 2008 - 5:59pm.

Awards may be renewed for up to three years and will cover post-enrollment activities.

Sept. 25 and Oct. 3 HAN meetings: what's next in Health Care Reform

Blog - October 29, 2008 - 10:50am - Emma Roderick - Community Partners - Amherst

At both HAN meetings, Brian Rosman from Health Care For All (HCFA) led a discussion about the next steps in Health Care Reform. Before he spoke, outreach workers exchanged stories about how some of new policies in Health Care Reform are working out in practice.

Draft 2008 health insurance tax forms are out

News - Submitted by Laura at CP on October 28, 2008 - 12:10pm.

Last week, the Department of Revenue released Draft 2008 Schedule HC (PDF) and Draft 2008 Schedule HC Instructions (PDF). In these drafts, the DOR explains the methods they currently plan to use to calculate 2008 mandate penalties.

Meeting the mandate: what you need your insurance to do

News - Submitted by Laura at CP on October 22, 2008 - 11:26am.

Final regulations for “minimum creditable coverage” (MCC) tighten up the individual mandate beginning in 2009.

Now that "past due" is due, how are your clients doing?

Blog - September 9, 2008 - 1:57pm - Laura Anderson - Community Partners - Amherst

This summer, MassHealth starting enforcing the rule that households who hadn’t paid their premium bills for 60 days or more would lose their MassHealth or Children’s Medical Security Program (CMSP) coverage. Members of these households may be starting to show up at hospitals and health centers, they may have no coverage, and they can’t get the Health Safety Net.

Public comment is invited on Minimum Creditable Coverage

News - Submitted by Laura at CP on September 4, 2008 - 1:09pm.

Agencies propose changes to health care reform.