Overview
Starting January 1, 2026, individuals with income below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) will no longer qualify for Advance Premium Tax Credits (APTCs) and ConnectorCare coverage. Impacted members will either qualify for a MassHealth program or be automatically renewed into an unsubsidized Qualified Health Plan (QHP) for 2026. Members enrolled in unsubsidized plans will have significantly higher monthly premium amounts and cost-sharing.
To prevent large, unexpected AutoPay withdrawals in December, the Health Connector will proactively turn off AutoPay for those Plan Type 1 members, with active payments set up in the portal and who are enrolled in an unsubsidized QHP plan in 2026 (those not eligible for a comprehensive MassHealth plan, such as MassHealth Standard or MassHealth Family Assistance).
This change in AutoPay is specifically for ConnectorCare Plan Type 1 members moving into an unsubsidized plan for 2026. Any Plan Type 1 members moving into another ConnectorCare plan type in 2026 will not have their AutoPay turned off. No other ConnectorCare members will have their AutoPay changed.
These members will receive several communications (robocalls, emails or notices) that started in November. These communications explain that they have to contact the Health Connector to keep their AutoPay active if they want it to effectuate their new unsubsidized plan for January 1, 2026. If they do not call, the Health Connector will turn off their AutoPay on December 12th (for December 15th AutoPay) or on December 22nd (for the December 23rd AutoPay).
A final eligibility notice has already been sent to these members who were eligible for ConnectorCare Plan Type 1 in 2025, but who no longer qualify in 2026 due to federal policy changes, and it explains that they will be auto-enrolled into the silver unsubsidized plan with the same carrier as their 2025 ConnectorCare plan for January 1, 2026.
Please review the messages that these members will receive below:
AutoPay Robocall Message:
All Health Connector PT1 members enrolled in an active AutoPay will receive a robocall if their 2026 premium is expected to be more than what they have paid in 2025.
“Hello, this is the Massachusetts Health Connector calling with an important message about 2026 insurance coverage. Members experiencing a premium increase for 2026 who have auto-pay set up will have this new premium amount taken out, unless they take action. During Open Enrollment, members can update their application, shop, and enroll into a new plan for 2026. Log in to mahix.org/individual or call 877-623-6765. This message will now repeat.”
AutoPay Notice or Email:
