1. Tax checkoff. A person filing a tax return in this State pursuant to Title 36, chapter 803 who has marked the relevant check-off boxes on the state income tax form as described in Title 36, section 5294 is identified as a person who may be provisionally assessed as eligible for benefits under the MaineCare program or to enroll in a qualified health plan in the marketplace. The department, in conjunction with the superintendent and the Department of Administrative and Financial Services, Bureau of Revenue Services, shall determine by rule the information necessary to be shared with the marketplace to provisionally assess eligibility and the schedule regarding the frequency of transferring the information.

2. Eligibility determination. The marketplace shall determine whether the person filing the tax return under subsection 1 has an address in the State and whether the persons in the household indicated as uninsured are already enrolled in the MaineCare program or a qualified health plan in the marketplace. The marketplace shall mail a notice to households with an address in the State and with persons in the household who are uninsured. The notice must notify the person filing the tax return that the person or other uninsured members of the household may be eligible for health care coverage and provide information about the special enrollment period available on the marketplace pursuant to subsection 3 and that MaineCare enrollment is available at any time. If the person filing the tax return has included an e-mail address or other contact information, the marketplace shall contact the person using the preferred method of communication indicated on the tax return.

3. Special enrollment period; assistance; coverage begins. A person filing a tax return under subsection 1 who is provisionally assessed as eligible to enroll in a qualified health plan in the marketplace has a special enrollment period that begins on the date of the tax filing and ends 35 days from the date of the notice mailed by the marketplace to the person pursuant to subsection 2. Once a person begins the application to enroll in a qualified health plan in the marketplace, the marketplace shall provide assistance through follow-up e-mails or another preferred method of communication until the person is successfully enrolled or the marketplace determines that the person does not wish to enroll. Coverage in the marketplace is effective on the first day of the month after the date a plan is selected by the person.

4. Medicaid coverage. If the marketplace determines that any member of the household is eligible for benefits under the MaineCare program under this section, the marketplace shall notify the department and the person who filed the tax return of the potential eligibility. The department shall contact the person who filed the tax return using the person’s preferred method of communication and provide assistance with the MaineCare application unless the marketplace determines that the person does not wish to enroll.

5. Outreach efforts. The marketplace and department, after appropriate consultation with the superintendent, shall jointly develop educational materials and programming to communicate the purpose of the income tax checkoff under Title 36, section 5294 and the benefits of enrolling in the MaineCare program or a qualified health plan in the marketplace to the public. The materials and programming must include materials developed for different target groups in the public, including, but not limited to, tax preparers, consumer assistance organizations, community groups and underserved groups. The materials must be made available in English and in languages appropriate for communities in the State whose primary languages are not English.