Massachusetts Health Care Reform Update

A note from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), HealthCareForArtists.org, and the Artists Health Care Working Group:

This fall, the Federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), will start to roll out more of its policies and programs.

Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), HealthCareForArtists.org, and the Artists Health Care Working Group encourage all Massachusetts residents, especially those who are currently in the State’s Commonwealth Care Program and the Commonwealth Choice Program, to visit the Massachusetts Health Connector’s new mini-website (www.bettermahealthconnector.org) and sign up for email notifications to learn about the upcoming changes that will occur under the Affordable Care Act.

Three key changes to note:

• Massachusetts’ current income limits are 300% of Federal Poverty Line (FPL) or $34,470 for an individual to be eligible for subsidized health care aka Commonwealth Care. The Federal ACA raises the limit to 400% of FPL with an adjustment to modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) to determine both eligibility and the amount of the subsidy.
• The ACA will use Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI)  to determine eligibility instead of Gross Income. Under MAGI you can factor in your schedule C losses when calculating your income. Most people can look at their AGI (line 37 on their taxes) to see what their MAGI number will most likely be.
• Some employees who are offered employer sponsored insurance might also become eligible for the ACA tax subsidies if they meet certain guidelines.

We’d also encourage you to take an anonymous short survey created by The Future of Music Coalition (FMC), Artists’ Health Insurance Resource Center (AHIRC) and Fractured Atlas regarding artists’ access to health insurance in the U.S (www.research.net/s/artistsandhealthinsurance).

Please note that Question #2 (Who provides your health insurance?) may seem confusing due to the Massachusetts health care reform being already enacted. We encourage you to list the program you are in under the Other category if it is one of the insurance plans listed below. Even if you fall under “pay for it myself/private insurance plan,” additionally write-in Commonwealth Choice under “Other” if that is where you get your private insurance from.

Please indicate if you are in any of the following program in the Other category:
Commonwealth Care and the plan you are participating in
Commonwealth Choice and the plan you are participating in
MassHealth and the plan/program you are participating in

Stay tuned for more information on the ACA roll out.

Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), HealthCareForArtists.org, and the Artists Health Care Working Group