This section is dedicated to breaking important news on Massachusetts Health Care Reform and beyond.
It is important to understand the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law is a work in progress and things are very fluid and are changing....
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CALLING ALL MASSACHUSETTS ARTISTS WORKING IN ALL DISCIPLINES STAND UP AND BE COUNTED
The Artists Foundation has collaborated to create on-line tool, Stand Up and Be Counted, to better determine how many artists of all disciplines are living and working in Massachusetts. Your answers will also help us and others to better advocate for our population. Go to the OnLine Questionnaire. Help us make the invisible- VISIBLE!!
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Breaking news....
We recommend the below sites for up to date news on the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law:
A Healthy Blog on Health Care for All's web site
The News section on Community Partners web site.
Common Health a new blog on WBUR's web site
Press:
6.27.07 Artist Town Meetings Promote Empowerment
6.15.07 Thoughtful advocacy yields positive results
Penned by AF Executive Director:
Common Health Blogs
RECENT NEWS ....
December 31st, 2007
The Massachusetts Department of Revenue released its proposed DRAFT regulations for the 2008 monthly financial penalties for those who are deemed able to afford to buy health insurance but choose not to do so.
NOTE these are DRAFT penalities and regulations have not yet been approved into law. To read the proposed penalties and the press release see DOR's Working draft of the penalties and the DOR press release and links to more info.
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE INCOME MEASURE FOR THE PENALTIES AND THE MANDATE IS YOUR ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME.
We recommend that you first find out if you are exempt from the mandate. To find out if you are exempt from having to purchase health insurance, see our individual mandate section. Remember you can also appeal the financial penalties through the Connector.
October 2007
There have been changes to what was called the Free Care Pool. It is now called the Health Safety Net (HSN) and there are new eligibility requirements. Please see our the Health Safety Net section.
Young Adult Plans (YAP) are now available to those 18-26 years old (before the age eligibility was 19-26 years old). Remember to check to see what these plans cover and what their annual benefit caps are before you purchase them. See our health care options section.
TWO IMPORTANT WARNINGS
1) As mentioned earlier, the deadline for PROOF of health insurance is in actuality December 31st, 2007. As long as you have insurance by that date and can PROVE it, you will not be penalized on your taxes by DOR. WARNING do not wait to until DEC 31st to purchase health insurance!!! Those who want to see if they are eligible for subsidized health care are strongly recommended to enroll and make your first monthly premium payment BEFORE NOVEMBER 15, 2007 to have proof of insurance by December 31st, 2007 (it takes time for paper work to be processed and Commonwealth Care Coverage starts the 1st of every month, so if you enroll in DEC 07 you will not have coverage until Jan 1, 2008). Those who are going to need to purchase insurance on the private market (i.e. not subsidized plans) will need to enroll BEFORE November 15, 2007 to have proof of insurance for Dec. 31st 2007 (again it takes time for paper work to be processed and many plans start coverage the 1st of the month). There is a waiver /hardship process from the individual mandate and one also for Commonwealth Care premiums (The AF will post the Commonwealth Care waiver/hardship process on our website after our team goes over them). To find out if you are exempt from having to purchase health insurance, see our individual mandate section. Again, IF YOU ARE UNINSURED, NOT EXEMPT FROM THE INDIVIDUAL MANDATE, AND HAVE MISSED THE NOV. 15TH 2007 DEADLINE, we urge you to get insurance as soon as possible as the tax penalties for 2008 are much higher than in 2007.
2) We strongly recommend that artists who have hard to determine income DO NOT enroll or sign up for any program/health insurance plan via the Connector's website or phone lines. Only use the Connector as a way to research your options. This is very important. It is best if you talk to a seasoned enrollment specialist from Health Care For All's Help Line or an enrollment councilor from a Community Health Center, a hospital, or a health care advocacy organization to see if you are first eligible for a subsidized health plan and if you find out that you are not eligible THEN use the Connector to enroll in a non subsidized health plan (i.e. Commonwealth Choice plans). It is important to be able to have an enrollment specialist to be able to advocate on your behalf or with you if something does not go smoothly with your enrollment.
Fall 07 The Artists Foundation has announced its Fall 2007 calendar of Artist Town Meetings Across the State. They are free and open to the public. One of the key topics covered will be the health care reform law and what artists need to know to navigate it.
6/5/07 On June 5th, 2007 the Connector Board voted unanimously to change the definition of Gross Income to Adjusted Gross Income contained in the Regulations "Determining Affordability for the Individual Mandate [956 CMR 6.00]" These are the regulations that the MA Department of Revenue will use to determine if someone is exempt from the individual mandate - the mandate that requires people to have health insurance. The Connector Authority Staff (this included Executive Director Jon Kingsdale, Jamie Katz Chief Counsel and other key connector staff) recommended the change to the board. This was a key important change that not only impacts artists, the self-employed and those with combination sources of income in this state, but it has national implications as the entire country is watching our state as the model to replicate.Thank you to all of the artists who testified at the three public hearings and to all of those artists, artist run organizations, and artist supporters who sent in letters. We collected over 40 letters on this issue (non form letters -so each letter was written in the artists own voice- which is key!). Connector Staff mentioned at the June 5th Connector Meeting that at all three of the hearings it was made clear by those testifying that Adjusted Gross Income was the fair and equitable way to measure income for the individual mandate. One Connector Board Member, Celia Wcislo, who was at all three of the public hearings, made the case of the need to switch to Adjusted Gross Income for the Individual Mandate to another board member by saying "that artists had real businesses expenses- i.e. brushes, paint, studio space, that were not counted in Gross Income" . Clearly the Connector Authority not only heard our request but implemented it. Several of the Connector Staff teased the AF Executive Director at the June 5th meeting that they were thinking of naming/dedicating the definition to her (so as you can see the AF was really focused on this key issue). (Special thanks to the ACT II Coalition and Health Care for All for their support and to the artists on this issue as well!)
Please be aware there has been some misinformation in the press and on some websites in regard to the Adjusted Gross Income Change- this change is ONLY for the Individual Mandate NOT for how the state is determining if someone is eligible for subsidized health care plans such as Commonwealth Care or a MassHealth Program.
To find out more about how this regulation change impacts you see our section on the individual mandate.