Amid the justifiable hoopla over the launch of Commonwealth Care (over 30,000 below-poverty individuals have been determined eligible with another 18,000 to be reviewed in the next 3 weeks), many have missed the steady growth of MassHealth.
The chapter 58 health reform statute increased eligibility for children and raised caps for a number of programs, starting last July.
New figures released today show that enrollment has grown substantially. From June 30 to Oct. 31, the number of kids enrolled has grown by 24,491. Adult enrollment has grown by 22,762. Almost 10,000 of the new adult enrollees are in the MassHealth Essential program, which covers long-term unemployed adults below the poverty line.
Together, that makes 47,253 new MassHealth members since July.
From the beginning, health reform project included enrolling eligible people into MassHealth and other existing programs. With the restoration of the outreach grants to groups throughout the state, that job will get a significant push.
