Back to Massachusetts

H1095 • 2025

An Act to increase the Medicaid life insurance exemption

An Act to increase the Medicaid life insurance exemption

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Donald R. Berthiaume, Jr.
Last action
2026-01-15
Official status
Accompanied a study order, see H4931
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to increase the Medicaid life insurance exemption

An Act to increase the Medicaid life insurance exemption By Representative Berthiaume of Spencer, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

  • An Act to increase the Medicaid life insurance exemption By Representative Berthiaume of Spencer, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
  • 1095) of Donald R.
  • Berthiaume, Jr., and Paul McMurtry relative to exemptions for life insurance policies with cash surrender value when determining Medicaid.
  • Financial Services.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-15 House

    Accompanied a study order, see H4931

  2. 2025-10-27 Joint

    Hearing scheduled for 11/04/2025 from 10:30 AM-01:30 PM in A-2

  3. 2025-02-27 House

    Referred to the committee on Financial Services

  4. 2025-02-27 Senate

    Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act to increase the Medicaid life insurance exemption
By Representative Berthiaume of Spencer, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1095) of Donald R. Berthiaume, Jr., and Paul McMurtry relative to exemptions for life insurance policies with cash surrender value when determining Medicaid. Financial Services.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
×

Bill H.1095

Section 25 of chapter 118E of the Massachusetts General Laws, as most recently appearing, is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following new section:-

(6)(A) For the purposes of this section the following words shall have the following meanings:

“Cash Surrender Value (CSV)”, shall mean, the amount available in cash upon cancellation of an insurance policy before it becomes payable upon death or maturity.

“Term Life Insurance”, shall mean, insurance that provides coverage for a set period and does not accumulate any cash value. These policies are excluded from Medicaid asset calculations.

“Permanent Life Insurance”, shall mean, whole life, universal life, and any other life insurance policies that accumulate cash surrender value over time.

(B) The exemption for life insurance policies with cash surrender value when determining Medicaid eligibility shall be $10,000 in face value. This exemption applies to the combined face value of all whole life, universal life, and any other permanent life insurance policies held by the Medicaid applicant or recipient.

(C) The face value exemption shall be adjusted for inflation every 5 years based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI). Adjustments will be rounded to the nearest $100.

(D) Term life insurance policies shall continue to be excluded from Medicaid eligibility calculations, as they do not accumulate any cash surrender value and are intended purely for death benefit protection.

(E) Every three year, the office of Medicaid shall submit a report to the senate and house committees on ways and means evaluating the financial impact of the increased exemption on the Medicaid program, including any changes in beneficiary access to life insurance policies and funeral costs covered by these policies.

The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The General Court provides this information as a public service and while we endeavor to keep the data accurate and current to the best of our ability, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

Close