Budget Amendment ID: FY2027-S4-491

EHS 491

Large Employers Utilizing MassHealth Report

Ms. Friedman moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting after section __ the following section:-

"SECTION __. Chapter 12C of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 21 and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 21. (a) The center shall establish a continuing program of investigation and study of the uninsured and underinsured in the commonwealth, including the health insurance needs of the residents of the geographically isolated or rural areas of the commonwealth. Said continuing investigation and study shall examine the overall impact of programs developed by the center and the division of medical assistance on the uninsured, the underinsured and the role of employers in assisting their employees in affording health insurance.

(b)(1) For the purposes of this subsection, “public health access program beneficiary” shall mean a person who is an enrollee in a: (i) MassHealth program established in section 9A of chapter 118E; or (ii) subsidized health care plan through the commonwealth health insurance connector authority established in section 2 of chapter 176Q.

(2) Annually, not later than December 1, the center shall submit a public health access program beneficiary employer report to the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on health care financing. The center may consult with other relevant agencies and departments to prepare the report. The report shall include data for the preceding fiscal year.

(3) The center shall utilize all available data, including, but not limited to, self-reported data provided by individuals who apply for public health assistance, if applicable.

(4) The report shall include the following information about each employer of 50 or more public health access program beneficiaries in the commonwealth: (i) the name and address of the employer; (ii) the number of each type of public health access program beneficiaries who are employees of the employer; (iii) the number of public health access program beneficiaries who are spouses or dependents of employees of the employer; (iv) whether the employer offers any employee health benefits; (v) the estimated cost to the commonwealth of providing public health access program benefits; and (vi) an analysis aggregating public health access program beneficiaries attributable to any single franchisor licensing 10 or more franchises in the commonwealth.

(5) The report shall not include the names of, or other identifying information about, any individual public health access program beneficiaries, and the report shall be subject to any applicable federal and state laws."