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Time to reapply for Health Connector
October 17, 2014
FITCHBURG -- Now's the time to submit new applications for 2015 health-care coverage.
That was the message local and state leaders delivered Thursday to area residents enrolled in Health Connector coverage, the former Medical Security Program, and temporary or limited MassHealth coverage.
Representatives from the Massachusetts Health Connector and the Family Health Center of Worcester made the point during an education roundtable for health-care professionals at the Burbank HealthAlliance Campus.
The event was organized by the Joint Coalition on Health, a group of local health organizations that advocates for underserved populations.
The meeting was attended by Fitchburg Community Health Connections CEO John Demalia, representatives from the offices of state Rep. Stephen DiNatale, state Sen. Jennifer Flanagan and health-care workers from across the region.
Ashley Hague, deputy director of Massachusetts Health Connector, and Seamus Kelley, associate director of Health Connector, were joined by Mohamed Fouzi Raheb and Zoraya Franco, health-care "navigators" with the Family Health Center of Worcester. Navigators help patients find insurance plans that fit their needs. The panel provided background on why people need to reapply and how health-care professionals can make sure patients are insured before Health Connector's open-enrollment period ends in February.
Open enrollment begins Nov. 15, the same day Health Connector will launch a new enrollment Website. About 450,000 residents are expected to apply for coverage.
Last year, the organization came under fire when a number of glitches on its old site made it impossible for many members to enroll in subsidized health insurance online. The company that built the Heath Connector site also built the masshealth.gov site, which also had a troubled launch. Patients encountered problems that ranged from the site crashing to the system mistakenly listing applicants as being incarcerated.
Hague acknowledged the problems with the site, saying the site was "tough for you, tough for us, and tough for our members."
Hague said a major reason patients will have to reapply for coverage is that under the old system, the organization "didn't do a great job of collecting information and dropping it into the right bucket."
Those who are covered by temporary MassHealth will need to try to transition to Health Connector or the full MassHealth coverage. An estimated 285,000 will make this switch. Hague said the end dates for temporary coverage will be split across three dates: Jan. 15, Jan. 31, and Feb. 15, to make the process less burdensome for health-care providers.
"We need to spread it out a little bit," Hague said, "but this is probably still too many."
Former recipients of Commonwealth Care, the state's first subsidized insurance program, number just over 100,000. Most of them will be eligible for Health Connector's "ConnectorCare" coverage.
Due to the problems with the Web site, the small number of patients who did manage to enroll online in 2013 and last year will also need to apply again. Hague called this "one of the most challenging populations" because members might not realize that they need to apply again.
Hague said the new applications will also keep Health Connector up to date on circumstances that could change the type of coverage a patient needs.
Health Connector is also trying to implement new ways to spread the word about enrolling. They set up automated "robocalls" based on specific customer needs, send color-coded forms through the mail, and plan on implementing creative new ways to spread the word, like utilizing TV screens at the RMV to display alerts.
There will be a bigger push to promote enrolling online closer to the site's November launch. Hague said before that, they "don't want to send people to the old website where they won't have much to do."
Raheb said the key to getting more people enrolled is "just the way we communicate."
Raheb said some people he helps come from other countries where "this insurance culture doesn't exist." He said sometimes they're afraid to apply because they're afraid they will be penalized for not being covered before. Raheb said the continued communication is helping.
"Confidence is building every day," Raheb said.
Michael Cromwell
Fitchburg Sentinel and Enterprise
2014 News
