華林功夫太極館慶20週年 余翠梅，陳玉燕，蘇靜恩攜手闖出女性一片天

華林功夫太極館創辦人余翠梅 （Mai Du，中）和陳玉燕（Amy Tran ，右），
蘇靜恩（Andrea So，左)攜手慶祝20週年。（周菊子攝）

  （Boston Orange周菊子麻州昆士市報導）華林功夫太極館 8月9日晚在昆士市龍鳳酒樓慶祝20週年，20頭醒獅，2條祥龍，200多學生和親自來賀的昆士市，摩頓市2名市長，以及來自四面八方的許多師父們，在15面大鼓與鑼鈸喧天聲中歡聚一堂，場面壯觀，喜氣飛揚。

華林派蘇靜恩，余翠梅，陳咪咪，Bob Robson，Amy Tran和學生們
一同慶祝20週年。（周菊子攝）

在波士頓已多年不見的武術擂台，這天又重現人們眼前，舞台上從年僅3歲的小娃兒到70、80歲白髮蒼蒼的耆英，掄拳踢腿，舞刀弄劍，棍戟交錯，著實讓人目不暇給，各門派師父上台示範時展現的沈穩功力，更是讓許多人激動得站起來欣賞。

昆士市長Tom Koch (左）和摩頓市市長Gary Christenson 雙雙親自出席道賀。
（主辦單位提供）

華林功夫太極館創辦人余翠梅（Mai Du) 自己也沒想到，12歲時磨著父母帶她去學功夫，跟隨她的師父Bob Rosen ，以及師公陳培習武後，竟就此一頭栽進武俠世界，不但成為華林北派探腿螳螂拳第八代傳人，還從20年前在摩頓市自家門前車道開班授徒，收了9名學生後，陸續在摩頓市，昆士市，然後在波士頓市的西洛士百利（West Roxbury）先後開出3家武館，成為大波士頓最龐大的武館之一。

余翠梅笑說「飲水思源」，尊師重道，追求正義都是必修武德，在她習武38年，執教25年的生涯中，強身健體和修身養性一樣重要，傳承文化時，更講究服務社區。

余翠梅請嘉賓為瑞獅點睛前致詞。（主辦單位提供）

    獲有塔芙茨大學（Tufts）教育碩士學位的余翠梅，在過去這些年中，不僅帶學生們南征北討的參加武術大會，砥礪武技，領回無數獎牌，還開班教人自衛防身，致力組織社區，推廣草根運動，和熱心人士於2014年共同創辦了大摩頓市亞裔社區聯盟（GMAACC），於2020年創辦了公平及反種族歧視聯盟（CARE），鼓勵人們建立正確的人生態度，積極的為亞裔社區找回聲音。

雙龍送上“龍虎精神”，“天下太平”的賀詞。（周菊子攝）

這天瑞獅太多，舞台站不下，分批來。（周菊子攝）

    當然，華林功夫武館能夠不斷擴張，重要原因之一是余翠梅有2名得力助手默默支持。一是和她一樣都是華林北派探腿螳螂拳第八代傳人，熱愛國華及書法，師從黃煥堂的華林太極功夫武館總教練陳玉燕（Amy Tran），以及華林北派探腿螳螂拳第九代傳人，如今已是勒星頓鎮（Lexington ）公校系統小學教育主任的蘇靜恩（Andrea So）。

    8月9日這天，昆士市市長柯奇(Tom Koch) ，摩頓市市長Gary Christenson，以及麻州眾議員黃子安（Donald Wong）親自到場為瑞獅點睛，麻州州長奚莉（Maura Healey），波士頓市長吳弭（Michelle Wu）等政要也發函致賀。

瑞獅送祝福是重頭戲之一。（周菊子攝）

20頭瑞獅同時疊人聳立，架勢震撼。（周菊子攝）

    華林功夫太極武館之外，有19家武館派代表出席，包括佛羅里達州奧蘭多的華林寺（Wah Lum Temple），麻州波士頓的新英格蘭華林功夫體育會，亞美文化中心，太極武藝協會，女媧（Nuwa ）體育俱樂部，麻州Berkley的華林功夫太極中心，牛頓市的陳耀祥武館，伍斯特市（Worcester）的Imperial Lion Dance，Methuen 的華林身心健康 （Wellness），Melrose的黃仁君（Rick Wong）的中國武術中心，貝爾蒙鎮（Belmont）的超武館（Woo’s Martial Arts），田納西州Knoxville的華林，佛羅里達州Melborune的華林，北卡羅萊納州Raleigh華林，緬因州Biddeford的九虎工夫 (Nine Tigers Kung Fu) ，德州修士頓的 No Limit Arts & Gifts, Shaolin Kung Fu，威斯康辛州（WI）Woukesho的少林中心，Madison的忠義工夫協會（Zhong Yi Kung Fu Association），以及德國的Kampfkunstschule華林派。

華林功夫太極館瑞獅獻吉。（周菊子攝）

    現場表演由20頭瑞獅和2條祥龍上台獻舞祝福開場，陸續有基本功，小洪拳，右手棍小組示範，青少年列隊排練，楊式太極24式等演練，特別嘉賓表演有佛羅里達州墨爾本華林功夫及太極的James DeFillips師父示範套路，德州休士頓Mark Vuong示範嵩山少林七星拳，威斯康辛州Madison的忠義功夫協會Nelson Ferreira師父示範等。

華林功夫太極館的蘇靜恩（錢左起），余翠梅，陳玉燕率學生謝幕。（周菊子攝）

    7月19日才從父親手中接下佛羅里達州華林派掌門人大印的陳咪咪，這天也余翠梅和Amy Tran，蘇靜恩等3個人，最後壓軸示範。

    這天在會場上，最高興的人莫過於余翠梅的姓氏宗親。余風采堂由全美元老余超群和本地主席余立昌率隊，出動了包括退休法官余達明在內的2桌宗親出席，與有榮焉的祝賀宗親余翠梅在社區發光發熱。（更新人名，Amy Tran為陳玉燕）

蘇靜恩（前左起），余翠梅，陳玉燕壓軸表演。（周菊子攝）

蘇靜恩（前）和陳玉燕（左）舞劍。（周菊子攝）

陳培師父的女兒陳咪咪率全女班示範功夫。（周菊子攝）

陳咪咪今年7月19日才從父親陳培手中接下佛羅里達州華林派掌門人大位。（周菊子攝）

陳咪咪示範功夫。（周菊子攝）

華林功夫太極館的幼兒班，最小的才3歲。（周菊子攝）

華林功夫太極館學生示範。（周菊子攝）

華林功夫太極館學生們舞棍。（周菊子攝）

華林功夫太極館耆英班示範打太極。（周菊子攝）

華林功夫太極館青年學生示範武術。（周菊子攝）

來自德州休士頓的師父 Mark Vuong 。（周菊子攝）

來自威斯康辛州Madison的Nelson Ferreiro。（周菊子攝）

佛羅里達州的Tu Truong師父。（周菊子攝）

示範盾牌。（周菊子攝）

來自不同州，不同武館的師父們。（周菊子攝）

南派武館的黃子安和黃雅亭（左）。（周菊子攝）

觀眾站起來鼓掌。（周菊子攝）

余風采堂宗親們到場祝賀。（周菊子攝）

余風采堂宗親道賀。（周菊子攝）

女媧體育會創辦人，剛宣誓就任波士頓地方法院法官的黃瑞瑜（左）。（周菊子攝）

華林功夫太極館 師生大合照。（周菊子攝）

More Than 2,000 ADUs Approved under Governor Healey’s Housing Bill

More Than 2,000 ADUs Approved under Governor Healey’s Housing Bill

854 permits approved during the first half of 2026 as Governor Healey expands support for homeowners

BOSTON – The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced that municipalities across Massachusetts have approved 854 accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, during the first six months of 2026, building on strong early momentum following the signing of Governor Healey’s Affordable Homes Act and bringing the statewide total to 2,084 approved ADUs since the start of 2025. 

“We wanted to make it easier for homeowners to build ADUs because we knew they were an effective tool for building the type of housing people need and lowering costs,” said Governor Maura Healey. “We're seeing homeowners across Massachusetts take advantage of this new opportunity, whether it's creating space for aging parents, helping adult children stay close to home, earning rental income or adding another home in their community. We're working to build on this early progress by giving homeowners more of the practical tools they need to get these projects built.”

“Homeowners told us they wanted the process to be simpler, and that's exactly what we're doing,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “With free designs, technical assistance and affordable financing, we're making it easier for people to turn an idea into a completed home. That's good for families, good for neighborhoods and good for addressing our housing needs.”

70 percent of communities in Massachusetts have approved at least one ADU and an updated interactive map tracking ADU applications and approvals is available at Mass.gov/ADUtracker. The top 10 communities for ADU approvals since the start of 2025 are:

Community  (Excluding Boston)	Approved ADUs
Lowell	53
Somerville	50
Plymouth	49
Lawrence	46
Revere	46
Worcester	40
Nantucket	39
Billerica	24
Methuen	24
Milton	24

“Surpassing 2,000 approvals is a strong early result and clear evidence of what can happen when we remove unnecessary barriers and allow ADUs by right,” said Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Juana Matias. “The programs we launched this year address the next set of barriers homeowners face, including design, early project planning and financing. Together, they will build on this momentum and make it even easier for homeowners to turn their plans into completed homes.”

ADUs, also known as in-law apartments, are small, independent homes located on the same lot as another home. They may be created within an existing home, built as an addition or constructed as a separate structure. ADUs can provide space for aging parents, adult children, caregivers or people with disabilities. They can also provide homeowners with supplemental rental income and add new rental opportunities within existing neighborhoods.

Before the Affordable Homes Act, Massachusetts had no consistent statewide standard for ADU zoning and permitting. A patchwork of requirements, including owner-occupancy restrictions, restrictive size limits, subjective design reviews and discretionary approvals, often made ADUs difficult or impossible to build.

The Affordable Homes Act created a consistent statewide standard allowing one ADU up to 900 square feet (or no larger than half the gross floor area of the principal dwelling) to be built by right on lots located in single-family zoning districts, subject to reasonable local requirements. Boston has separate zoning authority and its own ADU rules.

New Resources for Homeowners

To help more homeowners move from initial interest to construction, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has launched new programs addressing three common barriers to building an ADU: design, early project planning and financing. All resources can be found in one location at Mass.gov/ADU.

Free designs through the ADU Design Challenge

Homeowners can now browse and download free designs selected through the administration’s ADU Design Challenge. The designs include a range of sizes, layouts and construction approaches that homeowners can use as a starting point when planning an ADU.

ADU feasibility support through MHP

The Massachusetts Housing Partnership’s ADU Incentive Program helps property owners take the first step in determining whether they can build an ADU on their property. The program connects homeowners with professionals who can assess factors such as site conditions, zoning, utility needs, preliminary design considerations and potential construction costs.

Affordable construction financing through MassHousing

The MassHousing ADU Loan Program provides fixed-rate second mortgage financing of up to $250,000 for detached ADUs and up to $150,000 for attached ADUs. The program serves eligible homeowners who have completed design and permitting and are ready to begin construction.

Online interactive ADU tools

The Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) also launched a Massachusetts ADU Resource Center at MyMassADU.org in May. Homeowners that are interested in building an ADU on their property can read through a step-by-step guide, enter their address into the ADU Wizard tool to drop a design of an ADU on their property, then enter info like property value and home equity into a calculator to see what financing they might be eligible for. 

Homeowners in the Pioneer Valley can then take advantage of the Pioneer Valley ADU Accelerator Pilot program, also run by the MassCEC, to obtain technical support for building detached, modular, all-electric ADUs in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties.  

Residents interested in building an ADU should contact their city or town’s building or inspectional services department to learn about local permitting requirements. Additional information about the statewide law and resources for homeowners and municipalities is available at mass.gov/ADU.

Building More Homes and Bringing Down Costs

The ADU reporting is part of the administration’s broader effort to improve how Massachusetts measures and reports housing production. The administration recently launched the new housing production tracker, which provides a consistent statewide measure of net housing growth and allows the public to view housing production data for every city and town.

Since taking office, Governor Healey has focused on expanding pathways to homeownership, increasing housing production and lowering costs. Her administration has advanced new efforts to help first-time homebuyers, including expanding down payment assistance and lowering mortgage rates to make it easier for Massachusetts residents to buy their first home. 

To build more homes, she has taken action to speed up the permitting process, turn state land into thousands of new homes, convert downtown commercial space into apartments and create a first-in-the-nation fund to finance mixed-income development in a time of high interest rates. Governor Healey has also banned mandatory renter-paid broker fees, gave seniors up to $2,800 a year to help with housing costs, and expanded home inspection protections.

Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $250,000 to Grow Massachusetts' Teacher Workforce

Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $250,000 to Grow Massachusetts' Teacher Workforce Planning grants will help districts create new pathways to licensure for aspiring teachers through paid, on-the-job training and mentorship EVERETT - The Healey-Driscoll Administration has awarded $250,000 in planning grants to help 10 school district partnerships create Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs (RTAP) that open new pathways into the teaching profession. The grants will support 16 school districts as they design apprenticeship programs with educator preparation providers, allowing aspiring teachers to work toward their teaching license through paid, on-the-job training, coursework and mentorship. "Massachusetts needs more excellent teachers in our classrooms, and we're taking action to strengthen the educator pipeline," said Governor Maura Healey. "These grants will help districts build apprenticeship programs that prepare future teachers through paid, hands-on experience while they work toward their license." "Teacher apprenticeships create new opportunities for aspiring educators while helping school districts meet their workforce needs," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. "We're proud to support local partnerships that will prepare the next generation of teachers across Massachusetts." “Preparing and supporting excellent educators is one of the best investments we can make in student success,” said Education Secretary Steve Zrike. “These planning grants will help districts create high-quality apprenticeship programs that make it easier for aspiring educators to earn licensure while helping schools grow their own educator pipelines. Students benefit when educators bring deep knowledge of and longstanding connections to the communities they serve.” This grant builds on the successful launch of Massachusetts’ Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program, which currently includes 27 apprentices across seven school districts and five educator preparation programs. Apprentices are preparing to teach in high-demand fields, including special education, early childhood education in dual language settings and English as a Second Language, with most expected to earn their licenses within two to three years. "Massachusetts teachers play an essential role in educating our students and preparing them for the workforce," said Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones. "As the Healey-Driscoll Administration continues to promote Registered Apprenticeship as a proven model for employers to build great talent, our Division of Apprentice Standards values the collaboration with school districts to be a partner in this important work to attract and develop new talent that will serve as future educators." “This funding will help districts develop a framework for apprentices to work with and learn from experienced teachers and an educator preparation program,” Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez said. “While creating teaching pathways that are accessible, we can also increase the diversity of our workforce, which benefits Massachusetts students.” Each recipient will receive a $25,000 planning grant to support the development of a RTAP during the 2026-27 school year. Planning activities include workforce needs assessments, program design, developing partnerships with educator preparation providers and establishing recruitment strategies. Participating districts will be positioned to launch RTAP programs as early as the 2027-2028 school year.   The grant recipients each received $25,000. The recipients are: Brockton Public Schools Easton Public Schools Holyoke Public Schools Lawrence Public Schools Newton Public Schools Quincy Public Schools Salem Academy Charter School Spencer-East Brookfield Regional School District, in partnership with Quabbin Regional School District Springfield Public Schools Westfield Public Schools, in partnership with Chicopee, Granby, Hampden-Wilbraham, Greenfield, and Hadley public schools The RTAP is part of Governor Healey’s broader effort to grow Massachusetts’ workforce, including the Governor’s goal to register 100,000 apprentices across key sectors such as education, health care, and the skilled trades over the next decade. By expanding pathways into teaching, the administration is strengthening the educator pipeline and helping ensure every student has access to a high-quality education.

Following Report that New England Electricity Customers Overcharged Billions, Governor Healey Calls for Energy Affordability Legislation

Following Report that New England Electricity Customers Overcharged Billions, Governor Healey Calls for Energy Affordability Legislation

As basic service rates increase, Governor Healey’s legislation is needed to lower electricity bills

BOSTON – n response to a recent report finding that New England consumers have paid billions of dollars in additional electricity costs under the current system for purchasing power, and another increase in basic service rates, Governor Maura Healey is reiterating her call for the swift passage of her energy affordability legislation, which will lower energy bills, rein in utility spending and increase energy supply. 

 

“It is unacceptable that customers are left paying billions of dollars in additional costs because of the way the current system is set up – especially at a time when so many people are already struggling to pay their bills,” said Governor Healey. “As President Trump continues driving up energy prices with his wars and attacks on American-made clean energy supply, we need to be laser-focused on lowering costs here in Massachusetts. That’s why I filed energy affordability legislation to change how utilities buy electricity, getting customers a better deal so we can bring down energy bills in Massachusetts. It is so important that we move quickly to get this legislation passed so my administration can implement these critical reforms, and we will keep working with the Legislature to get this done.”

  

Governor Healey filed energy affordability legislation in May 2025 to avoid big price spikes in basic service rates. Right now, Massachusetts customers are paying more because of the significant volatility in electricity prices. Electricity suppliers have an incentive to pass on those costs to customers. Her legislation helps shield customers from these price spikes by changing the timing and duration of basic service electricity supply procurements. Her legislation would also significantly rein in the predatory practices of competitive electric suppliers to stop overcharging customers and provide a more genuine alternative to basic service rates. These provisions are included in both the House and Senate energy bills. 

 

Further, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has promoted municipal aggregation plans as a more affordable alternative to basic service. Municipalities can offer prices that remain stable for longer periods of time than basic service. One third of the 242 municipal aggregation plans have been approved since the start of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, and new approvals are being issued at a much faster pace.

Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff Urges Higher Ed Leaders to Reject Trump Compact 2.0

憂心忡忡的猶太裔教職員工敦促高等教育界領導人拒絕“川普契約 2.0”

Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff Urges Higher Ed Leaders to Reject Trump Compact 2.0 

Boston — Concerned Jewish Faculty & Staff (CJFS), a membership organization spanning nearly 50 campuses throughout New England, urges our higher education leaders to stand together to reject and publicly repudiate the Trump Compact 2.0.

In a letter sent to university presidents and governing boards on August 3, the otherwise dismantled Department of Education issued a December 31 deadline to respond to a series of misleading and insulting questions. The very next day, the far-right Heritage Foundation released its own publication rehearsing similar talking points and inviting lawmakers to codify the Trump administration’s assault on higher ed.

“Just because the administration is asking rather than extorting doesn't make the substance of its demands any better,” said Harvard professor of government Steve Levitsky, whose books include How Democracies Die. “The federal government shouldn't be telling universities who to hire or how to discipline their students, and given its record of attacks on critics and the press, its calls for free speech ring hollow. Universities rejected this undemocratic intervention when Trump was stronger politically. They should certainly reject it now that he is weaker.”

The DOE letter, otherwise known as “Trump Compact 2.0,” is the latest phase of an ongoing pressure campaign to coerce universities to “align themselves with a far-right agenda at the expense of students’ education and the public’s well-being.” CJFS accordingly applauds organizations like the Alliance for Higher Education that reject the federal government’s divide-and-conquer tactics and urge a unified front to build the higher education sector that mulitiracial democracy requires.

The DOE letter claims to favor “an ethic of free speech” and a “collision of opposing viewpoints” on campuses but singles out “unruly and violent protestors” for blame. “The whole framing is bogus,” said Margaret Litvin, a Boston University professor and CJFS founding member. “Public trust in higher ed is doing just fine. The entity doing the most to ‘disrupt classes, research, public lectures, and campus operations,’ as they put it, is the federal government itself.”

Colleagues on other campuses echoed the criticism. University of Pennsylvania professors Serena Mayeri and Amanda Shanor, who have written about the Trump administration's attacks on knowledge institutions and constitutional democracy, called Compact 2.0 “legally and politically dangerous,” adding, “After faculty, staff, students and alumni around the country came together to defeat the unlawful and unconstitutional Compact 1.0, the government has tried to impose its ideological will on universities through threats and coercion, private agreements, and now Secretary McMahon's letter. When universities have united to oppose these efforts in and outside of court, they overwhelmingly have won."

Jonathan Feingold, a CJFS founding member who co-authored a key legal memo outlining the Trump administration’s unlawful attack on DEI, expressed disdain at the university administrators collaborating with the federal government. “How could it be,” Professor Feingold observed, “that among the university leaders aiding Trump Compact 2.0 are actual scholars of authoritarianism like Ronald Daniels, the President of Johns Hopkins University who in 2021 outlined ‘why authoritarian regimes attack independent universities’? History does not look kindly on those who collaborate with authoritarians.”

Governor Healey Launches Statewide Campaign to Help MassHealth Members Keep Their Health Coverage After Trump Cuts

Governor Healey Launches Statewide Campaign to Help MassHealth Members Keep Their Health Coverage After Trump Cuts

Outreach campaign will help eligible residents navigate burdensome, new Medicaid requirements imposed by President Trump's law

More information at mass.gov/MassHealthMemberChanges

HAVERHILL – Governor Maura Healey today announced a coordinated statewide effort to help hundreds of thousands of MassHealth members understand and navigate new federal Medicaid requirements that will take effect over the coming months. Working alongside the Legislature, Health Care For All, and nearly 50 community-based organizations, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is launching an extensive outreach and education campaign to help eligible residents maintain their health coverage. 

The Governor made the announcement at Make It Haverhill, a workforce and digital access program of Community Action, Inc., which is one of the community partners participating in the outreach campaign.

“President Trump is trying to kick millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of people here in Massachusetts off their health care coverage—not because they no longer qualify, but because of unnecessary paperwork and confusing new requirements,” said Governor Maura Healey. “These are working families who rely on this program to afford their health care.  But we have their backs. We’re going to be here every step of the way to help people understand these changes and what they need to do to keep their coverage.”

“We are committed to helping eligible Massachusetts residents keep their health coverage,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Families have enough to worry about without navigating confusing new federal requirements or wondering whether paperwork is going to put their health insurance at risk. That’s why we are working with trusted community partners to reach people early and prove the support they need to keep their coverage.” 

“I am grateful for the hard work that the dedicated staff at MassHealth and our partner Health Care For All have been doing for many months to prepare for these federal changes,” said Secretary for Health and Human Services Kiame Mahaniah. “This same team led the state’s successful Redeterminations campaign in 2024 and I know that they are building on that foundation to ensure Massachusetts residents get the help they need to keep their health care.”  

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a federal law passed by Congress and signed by President Trump on July 4, 2025, requires states to implement significant changes to Medicaid programs nationwide. Beginning in January 2027, approximately 360,000 MassHealth members may face new work and education reporting requirements. Many of those members will also be required to renew their coverage every six months instead of every year, creating new administrative hurdles that could cause eligible residents to lose coverage because of missed paperwork or reporting deadlines.

National research, including a KFF report published last year, consistently shows that most working-age adults enrolled in Medicaid already work, attend school, care for family members, or live with disabilities or chronic health conditions. Studies of similar policies in other states have found that work reporting requirements primarily create additional paperwork and administrative burdens rather than increasing employment, often resulting in eligible people losing health coverage.

The campaign announced today is aimed at preventing unnecessary coverage loss by helping MassHealth enrollees and applicants understand what changes are coming, who is affected, and what steps need to be taken to keep their coverage.

"President Trump and Republicans in Congress have designed a cruel program intended to kick Massachusetts residents off of coverage that we know keeps people healthy and saves residents money in the long run," said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "The Legislature prioritized funding this campaign because our people shouldn't lose their health care over red tape manufactured by the Trump administration. I applaud Governor Healey for implementing this campaign with the vigor that this topic demands."

“As the Trump administration works to prevent Americans from enrolling in Medicaid in order to finance their tax cuts for the wealthy, this statewide public awareness campaign is representative of the Commonwealth’s commitment to ensuring that eligible Massachusetts residents are able to navigate the new Medicaid requirements and keep their coverage,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “I’m proud of the work that we did in the Legislature to provide the funding for this important initiative, and I’m grateful to Governor Healey for her commitment to this effort.”

To support this effort, the Governor and Legislature invested $10 million to support Health Care For All and a statewide network of nearly 50 community-based organizations that will provide outreach, enrollment assistance and one-on-one support to MassHealth members. MassHealth estimates implementing these federally required changes will also require approximately $30 million in state investments for staffing, outreach and technology upgrades.

MassHealth has spent more than a year preparing to implement these federally required changes while minimizing the burden on members wherever possible. The agency will automatically identify members who qualify for exemptions using information already on file and use data matching to verify work and education requirements whenever possible, reducing the amount of paperwork members must submit. MassHealth will also contact impacted members directly through mail, text messages, emails and automated phone calls before they are required to take any action.

“MassHealth’s first and foremost priority is maintaining coverage for all eligible residents of the Commonwealth,” said Assistant Secretary for MassHealth Ryan Schwarz. “MassHealth is required by federal law to implement these changes – but we will do so in a way that minimizes disruption if we can so that eligible members can keep their coverage. Where we cannot use available data to automatically exempt members from these new burdensome requirements, MassHealth will make sure that those who are impacted have someone they can reach out to who they trust is on their side to navigate these changes.”

“This campaign is the antidote to the drastic federal cuts to health care programs that will have deep and lasting negative impacts on the people of Massachusetts,” said Jennifer Lemmerman, Executive Director of Health Care For All. “We are honored to be joining with the Healey-Driscoll Administration to ensure those who receive coverage through MassHealth, particularly adults ages 19-64 who will be impacted by onerous work and education reporting requirements, are ready for these changes to mitigate potential coverage loss.” 

What MassHealth Members and Applicants Need to Know

Over the coming months, there will be changes to MassHealth eligibility because of a federal law passed by Congress and signed by President Trump.

Beginning in October 2026

• Some lawfully present immigrants will no longer be eligible for comprehensive MassHealth coverage because of changes required under federal law.

Beginning in January 2027

• Some MassHealth members ages 19-64 will be required to document that they meet new federal work or education requirements. 
• Many of those members will also need to renew their MassHealth coverage every six months instead of every year.

Important Exemptions

Many members will not be required to meet the new work and education requirements. Exemptions may apply to members who are

• Pregnant
• Parenting children age 13 or younger
• Living with a disability
• Managing certain health condition

MassHealth will automatically identify members who qualify for these exemptions whenever possible using information on file.

What Members Should Do Now

• Make sure MassHealth has your current mailing address, email address and cell phone number
• Open every letter you receive from MassHealth, including your blue renewal envelope
• Watch for emails, text messages and automated calls from MassHealth
• Visit mass.gov/MassHealthMemberChanges to learn more, determine whether these changes apply to you and find a community-based organization in your area that can provide free enrollment assistance.