Choosing the best health plan can be confusing and difficult. Massachusetts residents are advised to access the resources at The MA Connector as a primary resource in pricing and enrolling in an individual health insurance plan.  read more Key Data: Address: 1380 Soldiers Field Road, Brighton MA 02135 Phone: (866) 895-1786 A.M. Best Company Rating: not rated  Size: not listed  Parent Company is Centene Corporation  (NYSE: CNC).

CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts Inc. only offers a Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Program for uninsured individuals with incomes that fall within certain guidelines and who meet other qualifications. Commonwealth Care is run by the Massachusetts Health Connector (“The Connector”). CeltiCare began serving Commonwealth Care members on July 1, 2009, and currently serves members in the Boston, Central, Northern, and Southern regions of MA. In 2010 CeltiCare also began providing services to Commonwealth Choice members. The other health plans currently offered by the Connector are Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Fallon Community Health Plan, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Health New England, Neighborhood Health Plan, and Tufts Health Plan . CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts' parent company Centene Corporation runs other government-sponsored health plans including Bridgeway Health Solutions in Arizona, University Health Plans in New Jersey, Access Health Solutions Sunshine State Health Plan in Florida, Buckeye Community Health Plan in Ohio, Peach State Health Plan in Georgia, Absolute Total Care in South Carolina, Managed Health Services in Indiana, Superior HealthPlan in Texas and Managed Health Services in Wisconsin. Centene also owns Celtic Insurance Company, an company that offers commercial health insurance plans available in most other states for children, individuals and families that are easy to understand, access and use.

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The CeltiCare products issued in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are not issued by Celtic Insurance Company that issues individual health insurance in other states.

News

7/1/2011 CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts, Inc. announced the extension of its contract with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to serve Commonwealth Care Bridge members on an exclusive basis.

6/3/2011 As part of its process to prepare it’s 2011 Health Care cost trends report, this week the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter to its health insurers like Celticare Health Plan of Massachusetts for input into troubling cost trends.

Among the findings in the previous report, the state found:

1. Small businesses are paying more for premiums and have experienced sharper growth in rates than mid-size and large employers. 2010 experienced the largest increase in recent years.
2. Overall enrollment declined in all fully-insured group sectors but increased in the individual and self-insured market sectors.
3. Deductibles and out-of-pocket costs for policyholders grew substantially, almost doubling over the past three years.
4. The average size of insured small and mid-size groups decreased, while the average size of large groups and self-insured groups was relatively stable.
5. The individual sector was significantly older on average than the group sectors, covering relatively few children aged 0 to 19 and relatively more adults aged 60 to 64, despite the inclusion of Young Adult Plans in the individual sector.
6. Small groups paid 140 percent of what large groups did towards non-medical spending.

These problematic trends indicate to us that the state will likely make changes to its current insurance laws based on any new findings and that the demand for individual supplemental insurance on a voluntary basis will continue to grow. We cover these plans and related news items on the Massachusetts page of the Freedom Benefits insurance exchange.

4/9/2010 Centene Corporation renewed its contract with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to offer government-subsidized health insurance to individuals earning up to 300% of poverty level for the year beginning July 2010. CeltiCare is expected to be the lowest cost health insurance provider listed on the state's health insurance exchange. Centene offers insurance exchange coverage to individuals and families in other states through Celtic Insurance Company. Other Massachusetts supplemental health insurance and related benefit plans plans are available online from the Massachusetts health insurance exchange page.

1/9/2010 Foundation Blue Cross Blue Shield in Massachusetts reports that enrolling agencies found positive experiences with CeltiCare representatives for their willingness to maintain lines of communication during the transmission process of legal immigrants to the Commonwealth CareBridge program. One enrolling agency reported that a CeltiCare representative would attend their future meeting to provide updates and information. Still, many of the individuals whose health insurance was converted from the CommonwealthCare program to the CareBridge program beginning in October 2009 reported difficulties obtaining access to primary care physicians, especially in the Boston area. Massachusetts continues to face financial trouble with its health insurance programs with MassCare facing a $300 million deficit this year despite the trimming of insurance benefits to individuals. CeltiCare members already reported difficulties affording the higher co-pays to access care under the government subsidized health plan.

8/31/09 Centene Corporation announced that the State of Massachusetts has accepted its proposal to manage healthcare services for Aliens with Special Status through its subsidiary, CeltiCare Health Plan of Massachusetts (CeltiCare), effective October 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010.

 Opinions expressed are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Freedom Benefits Association or any other person, company or entity mentioned. Information is from sources believed to be true, but cannot be guaranteed.