Commonwealth Care Bridge –
CeltiCare Remains Vendor

 

The state has announced that it will continue to contract exclusively with CeltiCare to offer its "Bridge" product for another year.

As you'll recall, the state cut roughly 30,000 legal immigrants from Commonwealth Care last summer in a cost savings measure, and reinstated them in the CeltiCare Bridge plan, which began on October 1, 2009. CeltiCare is the only insurer participating in this Bridge product, which currently covers 24,000 legal immigrants. Newly eligible applicants are not able to enroll into the program; enrollment is limited to those who were formerly on Commonwealth Care. New applicants get MassHealth Limited and/or Health Safety Net.

CeltiCare will continue to be the only plan offering this Bridge product. Since the state budget is not yet finalized for FY11, it's not yet clear how much funding will be available to cover this population, and whether the capped enrollment might be lifted.

Reminders: CeltiCare offers 3 health plans: Commonwealth Care, Bridge, and Commonwealth Choice. Partners accepts CeltiCare Commonwealth Care and CeltiCare Bridge patients, but not CeltiCare Commonwealth Choice members.

- From: “CeltiCare Bridge plan renewed for another year”, e-mail from Kim Simonian, MPH, Associate Director, Patient Access, Partners HealthCare Community Benefit Programs, May 18, 2010.

5/10