Massachusetts officials say about 50,000 Massachusetts residents are becoming eligible for ConnectorCare health insurance, a low-income program that just expanded its income limits.
The state advertises the new pilot program as offering "$0 or low monthly premiums, low out-of-pocket costs, and no deductibles" for individuals making up to $72,900 yearly — or $150,000 for a family of four.
Springfield resident Brandon Arroyo has a daughter and had no health insurance before joining the new program. He said it gives him peace of mind.
"With those bills and everything, it could add up,” Arroyo said. “So this helps out with the no deductibles and a couple other things they mentioned.”
The eligibility expansion will provide new cost savings to more than 50,000 people, on top of the 156,000 residents currently in the program.
“No matter the reason – whether someone has become ineligible for MassHealth coverage, just moved to Massachusetts, or has been uninsured for a long time – there is no better time to find coverage through the Health Connector than right now,” Audrey Morse Gasteier, the executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, said in a statement.
People without health insurance, including those no longer eligible for MassHealth through the state’s Medicaid redetermination process, can access these ConnectorCare plans during open enrollment, which is happening now until January 23.