On October 30, 2023, Senate Bill 726, An Act protecting the homes of seniors and disabled people on MassHealth was reported favorably from the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and referred to the Senate Committee on Ways and Means (SWM), where it remains.
The bill reported from Health Care Financing:
- Reduces the financial liability of estate recovery on affected families by aligning the state program with federally required minimum standards and codifying several recent reforms implemented by MassHealth.
- Improves information sharing between MassHealth and individuals impacted by estate recovery and streamlines the appeals process for estate recovery waivers.
- Expands hardship waivers to reduce the impact of estate recovery on lower income families.
- Limits MassHealth services subject to estate recovery by implementing exemptions for certain programs like PCAs and CommonHealth members.
