
Could the State Choose Your MassHealth Plan Without Your Consent?
One of the key parts of estate planning is knowing where the finances to handle your medical expenses are coming from. Depending on the services you require to maintain your quality of life, these expenses may vary, but there are many programs out there to help soften the blow of these costs. MassHealth is one such program. In Massachusetts, MassHealth helps pay for care services and medical treatment for qualified seniors, but a new bill may change the way this program works, and some may not be happy about that.
Will the State Choose a MassHealth Plan for You?
Early November, a Senate bill called S 2200 passed the Health Care Financing Committee. This bill promises to save over $1 billion in reforms to the health insurance commercial market and MassHealth. Though many are still debating whether the bill can truly achieve these goals, some are focusing on aspect of the bill that they claim isn’t right.
The bill would allow the automatic enrollment of qualified seniors into MassHealth’s Senior Care Options—a program that covers people who qualify for both Medicare and MassHealth. But if you don’t want to be a part of the program, then you would have to notify state officials. Many say that this will take away the freedom of choice from seniors, while others argue that it will keep many elderly people from falling through the cracks in the system.
This change in the law could also affect your estate by changing the way your medical expenses are handled, so the Law Office of Brandon L. Campbell will keep an eye on this story. Knowing how our state’s regulations will affect you is a top priority when planning estates, setting up asset protections and establishing pet trusts. It’s part of how we give our clients the personal attention that they deserve.