4/24/2020 Press Conference on COVID-19 Updates

On April 24th, Governor Baker gave a press conference to provide a COVID-19 update on Testing, PPE, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and MassHealth Waiver Requests.

Here is the summary.

Testing

• Yesterday, there were 14,000 tests conducted in MA. 

Personal Protective Equipment

• MA has now delivered over 5.6 million pieces of PPE. 

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

• This program was created under the Federal CARES Act and was launched on Monday. 

  • This creates an unemployment benefit for people out of work due to COVID-19 who do not qualify for traditional unemployment insurance. (Gig workers, self-employed, etc.) 

• The system has processed over 100,000 claims so far.

• Benefit checks with the additional $600, part of the federal CARES Act benefit implemented by the administration, are already being issued. 

MassHealth Waiver Requests

• This week, the Command Center is submitting two additional waiver requests to the federal centers for medicare and medicaid services to implement additional flexibility for healthcare providers and residents seeking care. 

  • Please find the two previously submitted waivers here: Baker-Polito Administration Announces New Health Care Resources, Small Business Relief, Other Efforts To Support COVID-19 Response 

  • Specifically, these waivers will help MassHealth deliver the most effective care to members and to support healthcare providers during the COVID-19 public health emergencies. 

• The Command Center’s requests include: 

  • Expanding medicare telehealth coverage to include service provided by phone as well as video. 

  • To increase access to healthcare for seniors and individuals with disabilities who may not have readily available access to video and technology. 

  • To ease provider requirements that could result in unnecessary administrative burdens to care. 

  • To allow MassHealth to waive the requirement that certain applicants and members spend down to qualify for coverage in cases of financial hardship.

  • To extend retroactive coverage for individuals who qualify for MassHealth to allow individuals to be covered up to 90 days prior to submitting their application. 

• More details on all the waiver requests can be found on the MassHealth website as well as on the COVID-19 page on Mass.gov. 

If you feel sick, please call your medical provider. If your symptoms are severe, please seek medical attention. Please seek resources and guidance from trusted sources like the CDC and mass.gov/covid19.