Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health

23/10/2026

🎉 WOW! We are so grateful for our amazing supporters! 💙

We are SO CLOSE to reaching our team fundraising goal of $15,000! Thank you to everyone who has donated and helped spread the word!

As an official Flutie 5K Charity Partner, 100% of the funds we raise go directly to the Insurance Resource Center for Autism & Behavioral Health, supporting our vital work helping individuals and families navigate health insurance coverage for autism and behavioral health services.

💙 Help us cross the finish line! Every dollar makes a difference, and we would love your support as we reach our goal!

Click this link to donate: https://runsignup.com/Race/186352/Donate/lU8OWV8KG8zS8YgX

Thank you for being part of our team and helping us make a difference! 🙌💙

22/10/2026

ASK THE INSURANCE GURU:

"Dear Guru,

I have started to apply for MassHealth coverage for my child. I recently submitted the online Mass Application for Health and Dental Coverage and Help Paying Costs (ACA-3) at www.mahealthconnector.org and then submitted a disability supplement to UMass Disability Evaluation Services as my child has Autism. I was told by a friend that I will also have to do an ACA-3 application renewal, or the processing won’t be able to continue.

What?

I am very confused because I just did the application. Is this correct?"

This may seem like a strange process as your ACA-3 application was recently submitted, but it is something that you will need to do. This is something that only comes into play during the Health Connector’s Open Enrollment period. (This year Open Enrollment is 10/23 to Jan 23).

The good news is that this is an easy thing to take care of. When the Health Connector is in Open Enrollment, families who have a household member with Health Connector eligibility actually have two applications in the system (a current year application and next year’s application.) You can simply go into your online application, make any updates and then save the application again for the next year. You should first update your older application (2026). Then, once that is complete it will ask if this change will be same for the new year (2027). Even if you have no updates to make, continue to resubmit your application for the new year.

You can also call the Health Connector at 1-877-623-6785 to complete the renewal over the phone. Note, because our families are typically not looking for a Health Connector product, and are looking for MassHealth coverage for a disability, they often mark the other family members listed on the application as not applying, which should hopefully prevent this type of renewal from happening in future years.

And, there would only be one Health Connector eligible member (until CommonHealth is issued) that needs to do a renewal.
Once you have completed the renewal of the ACA-3 application, the Disability Supplement processing should be able to continue.

Hope this helps.

Reminder:

I am the Autism Insurance Guru and every week (or as often as I can) I answer your autism insurance related questions here on the AIRC’s page. My advice and wisdom come from years of experience dealing with autism insurance in Massachusetts, but please note anything I share is NOT intended to be legal or medical advice. I will post answers to questions that are submitted.

22/10/2026

🎉 WEEKLY UPDATE! 🎉
Four days left to go! We have currently raised $11,789! 💙 We are so incredibly grateful for everyone who has donated, shared our posts, and supported the Insurance Resource Center Gurus! THANK YOU!!! 🙌💙
We’re getting close to our $15,000 goal, but we still need your help to get there. Every donation, big or small, makes a difference!
💙 Help us reach our goal!
👉 https://runsignup.com/Race/186352/Donate/lU8OWV8KG8zS8YgX
Let’s see if we can hit that $15,000 mark! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️💙

15/10/2026

15/10/2026

ASK THE INSURANCE GURU:

"Dear Guru,

I have had MassHealth with Premium Assistance for the last 3 years. For 2027, my employer is offering only high-deductible plans with an HRA. I am afraid that the high deductible will cause me to lose Premium Assistance, but someone told me that an HRA (or similar benefit) can sometimes be used to help a plan meet the deductible requirements. The 2027 in-network family deductible on my new plan will be $9500. I am responsible for the first $4K of the family deductible. The HRA pays the next $5.5K. After the HRA pays off the amount it owes toward the deductible, my plan becomes a $2K individual/$4K family in-network deductible plan.

Will this plan be eligible for Premium Assistance next year?

Concerned Mom"

Dear Concerned Mom,

To be eligible for premium assistance, a health plan’s in-network deductible cannot exceed $3200 for an individual and $6400 for a family. You heard correctly that a high-deductible plan with an HRA can sometimes qualify for Premium Assistance, if certain things are true. As long as the HRA directly pays the balance due on both the individual and family deductible, and this results in the in-network deductible not exceeding the $3200 Individual/$6400 Family maximum, your plan will most likely be eligible for Premium Assistance in 2027. However, if you paid the balance due and submitted for reimbursement from the HRA, it would not be eligible.

In your case, your employer plan will likely be eligible for Premium Assistance in 2027 since the HRA is the entity paying the provider directly for the balance due! It is important to remember there are other requirements for Premium Assistance eligibility, and you can always call Accenture (MassHealth’s Premium Assistance Vendor) at (800) 862-4840 if you have questions.

Reminder:

I am the Autism Insurance Guru and every week (or as often as I can) I answer your autism insurance related questions here on the AIRC’s page. My advice and wisdom come from years of experience dealing with autism insurance in Massachusetts, but please note anything I share is NOT intended to be legal or medical advice. I will post answers to questions that are submitted.

14/10/2026

🎉 WEEKLY UPDATE! 🎉

We have just over one week to go! We have currently raised $10,859! 💙 We are so incredibly grateful for everyone who has donated, shared our posts, and supported the Insurance Resource Center Gurus! THANK YOU!!! 🙌💙

We’re getting close to our $15,000 goal, but we still need your help to get there. Every donation, big or small, makes a difference!
💙 Help us reach our goal!
👉 https://runsignup.com/Race/186352/Donate/lU8OWV8KG8zS8YgX
Let’s see if we can hit that $15,000 mark! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️💙

13/10/2026

https://umassmed.zoom.us/meeting/register/Gj4c4KNKRbmEDvqVP8eB0w

08/10/2026

Dear Guru Readers,

We have an incredible opportunity to come together as a community and make a difference!

The Insurance Resource Center for Autism and Behavioral Health (IRC) provides guidance to individuals and families, navigating the often-overwhelming world of health insurance. Best of all, they provide their services completely free of charge to those who reach out to them.
One of the ways the IRC is able to continue this vital work is through its charity partnership with the annual Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism 5K. Which is happening just in a couple of weeks on Sunday, October 26, in Natick, Massachusetts, and we would be grateful if you would consider donating to our team!

Every dollar donated to the IRC goes directly toward helping families access healthcare, maintain critical coverage, and overcome barriers that can stand between them and the services they depend on. Your participation doesn't just support an organization it supports real people, real families, and real futures.

Together, we can celebrate our community, raise awareness, and make a meaningful impact. We can't do this without you.

Donate here: https://runsignup.com/ircgurus

07/10/2026

🎉 WEEKLY UPDATE! 🎉

We did it—we’ve officially raised over $10,000 for our team! 💙 We are so incredibly grateful for everyone who has donated, shared our posts, and supported the Insurance Resource Center Gurus!

THANK YOU!!! 🙌💙

We have just over two weeks left, and we’re hoping to reach our $15,000 goal! We’re getting close, but we still need your help to get there. Every donation, big or small, makes a difference!

💙 Help us reach our goal!
👉 https://runsignup.com/Race/186352/Donate/lU8OWV8KG8zS8YgX

Let’s see if we can hit that $15,000 mark! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️💙

01/10/2026

Attention MassHealth Standard Members: