• DMA will assume responsibility for the Healthy Start Program, effective October 1st, 2003.
• Financial eligibility was lowered from 225% to 200% FPL, effective July 1st, 2003. Women who were already on were grandfathered in.
• Healthy Start retroactive coverage is now only 10 days rather than 30, effective July 1st, 2003.
• The monthly household income before taxes and deductions for every family member is used to determine eligibility, and the MassHealth definition of family/household is used to determine household size, effective July 1st, 2003.
• Effective October 15th, 2003, to apply for Healthy Start, a pregnant woman will need only to complete a Medical Benefits Request (MBR). There will no longer be a separate Healthy Start application. Providers should discontinue use of the Healthy Start application on October 15th, as they will no longer be accepted. Only the MBR needs to be completed and mailed to MassHealth Enrollment Center, Central Processing Unit, P.O. Box 290794, Charlestown, 02129-0214. The MBR will be used to enroll a woman in Healthy Start for her prenatal and Limited for her delivery. She will receive 2 cards - a Healthy Start card and a MassHealth card.
• For the transitional period of time from 10/1 - 10/15, Healthy Start will take Healthy Start applications and call the applicant to initiate an MBR for her.

-From Kim Simonian, 9/12/03 Program Manager, Medicaid and Uncompensated Care Programs, Community Benefit Programs, Partners HealthCare