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Do I qualify for ConnectorCare?

Produced by Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Reviewed November 2022

To qualify for ConnectorCare:

  • You must live in Massachusetts.
  • You must be a U.S. citizen or a “lawfully present” non-citizen.
  • Your income must be 3 times the federal poverty level for your family size or lower. See the ConnectorCare Upper Income Limits table.
    • The Health Connector counts:
      • your federal taxable income for the year, and
      • some income like your social security income, even if it is not taxable.
      • Your family size is based on the people you include on your federal tax return.
    • See more about the ways the Connector counts income and family size
  • You must be unable to qualify for other kinds of health coverage like:
  • You must agree to file a federal tax return for the year in which you get ConnectorCare.
    • Even if you do not make enough money to have to file taxes, you must file a tax return to get the “tax credit” that the government uses to pay for your ConnectorCare HMO.
    • See more about ConnectorCare and tax filing
  • If you are married, and will file taxes as “married filing separately” you only qualify for ConnectorCare if you need to file separately because of abuse or abandonment.
  • You must enroll in one of the HMOs that offer ConnectorCare plans:
    1. Choose an HMO, and
    2. Pay any premium that is due by the 23d of the month so you can start coverage on the 1st of the next month. Not everyone will have a premium.
  • You can apply at any time of year, but you must enroll:
    • within 60 days of the date you are found eligible for ConnectorCare, or
    • for coverage in 2023, during “open enrollment” that began Nov 1, 2022 and ends Jan. 23, 2023.
  • If you miss the enrollment deadline, you may have to show the Connector that you qualify for a “special enrollment period.” See more about special enrollment periods in the ConnectorCare Advocacy Guide.

If your income is more than 300% of poverty

You may still be able to get a discount on the premium for other kinds of Health Connector Plans. Check the Get an estimate tool to find out if you qualify for this help paying your premium.

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