BOSTON — The number of senior citizens enrolled in the state’s Medicare savings programs has increased since eligibility was expanded to help more beneficiaries pay for health care premiums and prescription drugs.
There were 138,313 people enrolled in the state’s federally funded programs as of June, according to the latest data from the state Department of Public Health, which administers the programs.
That includes 17,045 new seniors and disabled beneficiaries who enrolled in June under changes that expanded who qualifies for the programs.
The state has several Medicare savings programs – Qualified Medicare Beneficiary, Specified Low-Income Medicare Beneficiary and Qualifying Individual program – that pay some or all of beneficiaries’ premiums and other health care costs, including prescriptions. To qualify, residents must be at least 65 years old and approved for the federally funded program.
Even more people are likely to qualify for the benefits under changes to the state’s new Medicare savings programs, which began March 1, with a replacement for MassHealth’s Senior Buy-In and Buy-In programs.
Under new eligibility requirements, for a person on Medicare with less than $2,824 per month in income – or less than $3,833 for a couple – the program will pay for monthly Part B premiums, Part A and D co-pays and deductibles, as well as extra help with prescription costs, according to the administration of Gov. Maura Healey.
Until now, eligibility was determined through an asset test that required individuals to have no more than $18,180 in assets, $27,260 for couples. Those assets included money in bank accounts and retirement funds, which advocates say often excluded people who would otherwise qualify based on annual income.
“MassHealth is committed to ensuring that older adults on fixed budgets have access to affordable coverage,” Mike Levine, MassHealth’s assistant secretary, said in a recent statement. “Our work expanding eligibility for the Medicare Saving Program and simplifying the application process is critical to meeting this goal.”
The Boston-based nonprofit group Healthcare for All says the new Medicare saving program will save seniors an average of $500 per month they would have otherwise spent on health care costs. The group says seniors are often having to choose between paying for food and housing or “essential” health care services.
Massachusetts is wrestling with skyrocketing health care costs that advocates say are jeopardizing medical treatment for patients.
A report in March by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission’s Center for Health Information and Analysis found health care expenditures per capita increased by 5.8% from 2021 to 2022, well above the national rate of 4.1% and nearly double the 3.1% benchmark set by the commission, based on previous years’ growth.
The center attributed the increases to a combination of high prescription drug expenses, “unprecedented” patient cost sharing, and other factors that are forcing consumers to dig deeper into their pockets to pay for health care services.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.
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