150 MA Organizations Urge Congress to Protect Safety Net from Federal Cuts
The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) and 149 Massachusetts organizations are standing together to call on the MA Congressional Delegation to forcefully oppose any proposals that would harm critical federal safety net programs. With Congress considering severe cuts to SNAP, Medicaid (MassHealth), and TANF through budget reconciliation, the 150 organizations urge the Delegation to protect and defend our nation’s vital anti-poverty programs, including:
Massachusetts long-term care bill signed into law with provisions limiting MassHealth estate recovery
On September 6, 2024, Governor Healey signed into law an Act to Improve Quality and Oversight of Long-Term Care — Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024. The 66-page Act includes many important provisions affecting long term care and related topics including significant changes to MassHealth policies regarding estate recovery.
MassHealth 1115 Amendments Approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
On April 19, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Massachusetts’s request to amend the MassHealth Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Plan Section 1115 Demonstration. This approval recognizes shelter as a health-related social need and allows MassHealth to spend federal money on shelter and other assistance for MassHealth families experiencing homelessness in the Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter program. This policy change will bring significant federal money into the EA shelter system which can be used for shelter costs and supportive health-related services for MassHealth members.
Spring Advocacy Updates
Our advocates know that meaningful change takes time – a win today only leads to change tomorrow if advocacy is ongoing.
Whether it is the restoration of state-funded food benefits for immigrants or the creation of access to counsel in eviction cases, when we take on issues, we are making a long-term commitment.
The successes we’ve had in the past few months are the result of that committed advocacy – and will be the catalyst for more wins down the road. Thank you for joining us on this journey towards justice.
111 Organizations Support Request by MassHealth to Allow Use of Federal Funds for Shelter
In October, MassHealth submitted a Section 1115 Demonstration waiver amendment to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which included, among other things, a request to spend federal money on shelter and other assistance for MassHealth families experiencing homelessness currently in the Emergency Assistance (EA) shelter program. If approved, this would bring significant federal money into the EA shelter system which could be used for shelter costs and supportive health-related services for MassHealth members.
MLRI Launches New Website to Connect MassHealth Beneficiaries and their Advocates to Resources
The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) has launched a new website, MassHealthProject.org, for its MassHealth Monitoring Project. The purpose of the project is to monitor MassHealth redeterminations and provide MassHealth beneficiaries and their advocates with the tools and resources to maintain their MassHealth coverage or successfully transition to other affordable coverage.
Statement of Georgia D. Katsoulomitis, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, in Response to the Dobbs v. Jackson Decision
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is a stunning reversal of legal precedent and the loss of a constitutional right that has been protected for almost half a century. The reversal of Roe v. Wade is not only a devastating loss of reproductive rights for women in the United States but it is also an affront to the fundamental right to bodily autonomy and to our privacy rights. Furthermore, it opens the door to legal challenges that threaten to weaken or eliminate other important fundamental rights and liberties.
Dobbs does not outlaw abortion in the United States; it simply leaves the legality of abortion access to each individual state. The consequence is that the choice of whether a woman has access to reproductive health services will depend on where in the United States she happens to live. Women of economic means who reside in states that restrict or outlaw access to abortion may have the financial ability to travel to states where abortion remains legal and accessible. However, low income women in states with restrictive abortion access now have no choice or options – at least not safe ones.
Senate Ways and Means FY 2023 Budget Proposal: Preliminary Analysis of Key Issues Affecting Low-Income Massachusetts Residents
On May 10, 2022, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means released its budget proposal for fiscal year 2023 (FY 23), which is referred to as Senate 4. The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute prepared this analysis of selected budget topics impacting low-income residents of the Commonwealth:
- Cash Assistance, SNAP and Related Items Administered by DTA
- Child Welfare: DCF and Related Items
- Criminal Justice Reform
- Health Issues in MassHealth and ConnectorCare
- Homeless Services
- Housing
- Legal Services/Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation