Massachusetts MassHealth for Seniors

The MassHealth for Seniors Program is administered by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and provides healthcare coverage to senior citizens. The program caters to adults (age 65 or older) or people who need long-term care through the Home- and Community-based Services Waivers (HCBS). The eligible candidates are given medical services at either a hospital or nursing home depending on their medical needs.

The MassHealth program is also known as the Massachusetts Medicaid Program and help around one-fifth of the state’s population by providing health insurance to them. In Massachusetts, one-third of all births are paid for through the MassHealth program. Similarly, half of the underprivileged children from low-income families and people with disabilities get MassHealth medical coverage as well as two-third of senior citizens residing in the nursing home around the state of Massachusetts.

Healthcare expenses can get difficult to afford because of which thousands of senior citizens in the state of Massachusetts are unable to buy healthcare services. There are very few services that cater to the medical needs of senior citizens. Due to expensive prescription drugs, medical services, and premiums and co-payment many senior citizens have to even let go of necessities to pay for these services. The goal of the Massachusetts MassHealth for Seniors Program is to provide healthcare coverage to these deserving senior citizens so that they do not have to compromise on their health.

There are certain documents that you should provide at the time of applying for the Massachusetts MassHealth program. You should provide a social security number of every member that applies to the MassHealth Program. Provide your citizenship status as well as documents related to your income and household assets. You need to provide any written proof of your health insurance coverage, if, you are enrolled in any.

Only eligible applicants can apply for the Massachusetts MassHealth for Seniors program. If you are 65 years of age and living at your own home, you can apply for the MassHealth program. You should not be a parent or caregiver to a child living with you and is 19 years old or older. You can also apply for the program if you are 65 years old or older and have a disability. You can either be unemployed or be working 40 hours per week or have completed at least 240 hours of work shift, six months before applying for the MassHealth Program.

Senior citizens if require a long-term care facility and services like hospitals or caregiving facility then you are eligible to apply for the MassHealth program. You can also apply for the program if you require at-home care services. For a family to apply for the MassHealth program, they both need to apply for the program benefits and should not be taking care of any children under the age of 19.

You can also get a MassHealth card which you can show your doctor at the time of receiving medical services. If you do not have a MassHealth card, you can contact the MassHealth Customer Service Center to apply for the MassHealth card. It should be kept in mind that not every member of the MassHealth program will receive a MassHealth card, to individuals who are responsible for paying for medical services through the insurance premium. If you have a low-income ad are applying for the Health Safety Net (HSN) services. In the latter case, your respective hospital or community where you are receiving the healthcare coverage will determine how much should you be reimbursed for the medical services you receive.

MassHealth also provides medical coverage to children, women, and adults, people with disabilities, and families as well. To check your eligibility criteria kindly visit the Mass.gov homepage.

Regarding the on-going pandemic and keeping in mind the safety of the people, walk-in visitation by the citizens has been closed at the MassHealth site. You can go to the www.mahealthconnector.org​ to learn more about the program. Keep checking the website for announcements.

To apply for the Massachusetts MassHealth for Seniors Program call the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, you can take the information by calling at 800-841-2900 / 800-497-4648 (For TTY users)

You can also fax your application form along with the required documentation to (617) 887-8799

Also Read: Massachusetts Senior Care Options (SCO)