Bridge Program Extended to January 31

 

The CeltiCare Bridge plan covers roughly 22,775 legal immigrants statewide who lost their Commonwealth Care coverage in August 2009 due to state budget cuts. The fate of this plan has been uncertain, given the ongoing shortfalls in the state budget for MassHealth and other health programs.

The plan had been slated to end on December 31 st, but Partners HealthCare has been informed it will continue through January 2011. The state will continue to look for funding to extend Bridge coverage beyond January 31, 2011. If this program eventually sunsets, its members would fall back onto MassHealth Limited and/or Health Safety Net automatically.

-From “UPDATE: continuation of CeltiCare Bridge plan”, Kim Simonian, MPH, Associate Director, Patient Access, Partners HealthCare Community Benefit Programs, December 09, 2010.

 

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