Staff Attorney, Access to Care and Coverage Practice

An exciting opportunity to join the fight for health care access!

Health Law Advocates (HLA) is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) public interest law firm committed to ensuring universal access to quality health care in Massachusetts. HLA provides pro bono legal services to Massachusetts residents with low incomes who face barriers to accessing health care coverage and services. HLA is committed to ensuring universal access to quality health care in Massachusetts, particularly for those who are most at risk due to such factors as race, gender, disability, age, or geographic location.

HLA also engages in public policy advocacy, systemic litigation, and educational programming to promote access to care for all.

HLA furthers its mission of universal access to quality health care via three main areas of work:

• Representing Health Care Consumers. HLA provides high quality, free legal assistance to income eligible Massachusetts residents experiencing difficulties with accessing or paying for health care.
• Community Education and HLA builds knowledge in communities about how to access health care services through well-regarded trainings and presentations throughout Massachusetts and by authoring publications that promote access to health care.
• Policy Advocacy. HLA advocates for public policy reforms that help consumers access health care. We offer our legal expertise and experience working with consumers to policymakers on the state and federal levels, as well as advocate for policy changes by health care institutions to enhance access to care and coverage.

Learn more about HLA at https://www.healthlawadvocates.org/.

The Staff Attorney for HLA’s Access to Care and Coverage Practice will help lead two of HLA’s key projects - the Medical-Legal Partnership for Immigrants (MLPI), and our new Family Resource Center (FRC) Project focused on responding to federal policies that threaten access to health care and coverage.

• Delivering consultations and trainings to FRC staff and clients to help them navigate access to affordable health care and, particularly, new barriers caused by federal actions that restrict coverage and eligibility for public health care programs; and
• Supporting the Supervising Attorney for HLA’s Immigrant Initiative to manage our MLPI partnerships with hospitals and community health centers, as well as represent immigrant clients referred by these partners.

Fifty percent of the Staff Attorney's time will be dedicated to each of these projects.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as the legal representative for income qualified clients. Most clients will be immigrant patients referred through our MLPI partnerships. A limited number of clients will be identified through our work with the MLPI cases typically involve immigrant clients unjustly denied enrollment in comprehensive health insurance coverage. Other matters may include denials of coverage for specific medical services, unaffordable medical bills, or other health access barriers.
• Represent clients in communications and negotiations with Mass Health and Health Connector officials, health care providers, managed care entities, and in appeals before the Office of Medicaid Board of Hearings.
• Analyze medical, health insurance and other relevant records as Conduct legal research and writing.
• Work with clients and, where relevant, their families, social services providers, medical providers, and other parties to challenge health care obstacles.
• Manage case files and promptly document all activities in our case management software.
• As needed,…