HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2704        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1132

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Christine P. Barber

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act creating a MassHealth buy in program.

_______________

PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2704        FILED ON: 1/17/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1132

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

An Act creating a MassHealth buy in program.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the office of Medicaid shall establish and offer an optional expanded Medicaid plan for purchase by an individual or by an employer as an employer-sponsored insurance plan. The optional expanded plan may set alternate eligibility and cost-sharing standards beyond those established by section 9A of chapter 118E of the General Laws and may condition participation in the program; provided, however, that any optional expanded plan offered to an employer shall require the employer to pay not less than 50 per cent of the projected cost of coverage for participating employees. The office may adjust benefits offered through an optional plan under this section; provided, however, that the office shall maintain the benefit and cost-sharing standards for those individuals and employees that meet the eligibility standards established by said section 9A of said chapter 118E.

(b) The office may establish premiums or cost-sharing requirements for an optional expanded plan that are equal to or exceed the costs of covering participating members based on the per-member-per-month expenditures or other measures. Additional revenue generated in excess of the cost to administer the expanded plan may be used to increase provider payment rates within the optional expanded plan and the MassHealth program under said section 9A of said chapter 118E or otherwise may be applied to the sustainability of the MassHealth program.

(c) An individual eligible for MassHealth under said section 9A of said chapter 118E shall receive commensurate cost sharing, coverage and benefits as they would receive under said section 9A of said chapter 118E, regardless of participation in the optional expanded plan through their employer. Nothing in this section shall preclude the office from requiring an employee to participate in the premium assistance program or a commensurate program.

(d) The office may, in addition to premiums or cost sharing required from employers for employees on the optional expanded plan, require contributions from an employer that participates in the optional expanded plan as employer-sponsored insurance, for an employee that meets the eligibility standards under said section 9A of said chapter 118E.

(e) The office may apply for federal authorization to permit the application of available subsidies for participation in the optional expanded plan including, but not limited to, advance premium tax credits, cost-sharing reductions or state wrap funds applicable to the purchase of MassHealth coverage through the commonwealth health insurance connector authority.

(f) Not later than July 1, 2020, the office shall file a plan outlining: (i) details regarding the office’s proposal to implement an optional expanded plan; (ii) recommended statutory language, if any; (iii) expected benefits and cost sharing to be offered through the optional expanded plan; (iv) expected start-up costs to implement the optional expanded plan; (v) expected revenue from the optional expanded plan to support the full MassHealth program; and (vi) expected savings to the MassHealth program related to the implementation of an optional expanded plan.