4 hours Ago By Alison Kuznitz
BOSTON — The state’s health insurance marketplace saw record enrollment this year, with the expansion of low-cost, subsidized coverage options and the MassHealth redetermination process driving demand, a top official said Thursday. Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, detailed trends for the exchange that provides access to health and dental insurance plans for individuals, families and businesses. “I’m endlessly proud of our team for delivering key wins this year, like growing our enrollment by a whopping 31% between the start and finish of this year, resulting in the Health Connector’s highest enrollment in an 18-and-a-half-year-history and the commonwealth’s lowest reported rate of uninsurance,” Morse Gasteier told the Health Connector Board Thursday morning.
The Connector offers access to coverage, including subsidized plans, through insurers such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, UnitedHealthcare, Altus Dental, Delta Dental, Fallon Health, Health New England, Mass General Brigham Health Plan, Tufts Health Plan and WellSense Health Plan. Data as of Dec. 2 show that 389,175 members were enrolled in plans they accessed through the Connector, including 343,832 non-group health plan enrollees.
At the start of the year, that number was 305,730. Morse Gasteier said 55,000 Bay Staters gained access this year to lower-premium and no-deductible policies through the expansion of a ConnectorCare pilot program. The pilot authorized by the Legislature extended eligibility to residents earning up to $72,900 and families of four earning up to $150,000.
Another 192,000 people who lost their MassHealth coverage during the sprawling redetermination process enrolled in plans this year that they accessed through the Connector, Morse Gasteier said. Open enrollment is underway at the Connector through Jan. 23.
Morse Gasteier said this week is poised to be a busy period, ahead of the Dec. 23 deadline to enroll in health insurance plans that start on Jan 1. “We had a smooth start to open enrollment, and so far it’s gone soundly from the operation side,” Morse Gasteier said.
“We are seeing brisk enrollment, similar to last year’s very busy pace and markedly ahead of what we would now call the COVID years.” As of early December, 290,870 members were enrolled in ConnectorCare plans, with another 46,232 members in unsubsidized plans. Morse Gasteier said open enrollment is particularly important this year for members insured through Tufts Health Direct.
An insurance spat means the plan will no longer cover hospitals and doctors affiliated with UMass Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital in 2025. Thousands of patients will be impacted, according to Connector data and The Boston Globe. “This is the largest one-time network disruption for members that we can remember,” Morse Gasteier said.
“Many will be faced with the question of keeping their plan and needing to seek out new providers, or keeping their doctors by moving to a new plan. We continue to reach out to members to ensure they are aware of the changes.”.
