MassHealth enrollment surges during pandemic

THE STATE’S MEDICAID program is experiencing a big increase enrollment, with officials worried about its long-term impact on state finances.

MassHealth, the state Medicaid program, is meant to cover the lowest income individuals in Massachusetts but in fact, it covers more than a quarter of the state’s population.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders testified at a budget hearing before the House and Senate Ways and Means Committees on Wednesday that the MassHealth caseload increased by 9.2 percent since March, or 161,000 individuals. There are now more than 1.9 million people enrolled in the program, the highest number since 2016, and Sudders expects that figure to reach 2 million in fiscal 2022.

This is likely due to people becoming newly eligible for Medicaid during the pandemic as they lose jobs, income, or access to employer-sponsored health insurance. Under federal rules, Massachusetts is also not allowed to conduct redeterminations – assessing whether someone has lost eligibility for MassHealth – during the pandemic.

Read more: https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health-care/masshealth-enrollment-surges-during-pandemic/