Medicaid Unwinding

A month ago I posted a post which included a very incomplete, rudimentary look at just how many Americans had lost Medicaid or CHIP coverage due to the ongoing Medicaid Unwinding process playing out nationally, based on initial data reported by Joan Alker, Executive Director of the Center for Children & Families at the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute:

...data is only available for 8 states so far; for another, the data from those states is a mish-mash, clearly broken out in some but only partial in others, and some only include percentages instead of hard numbers.

Even so, you can already see that at least 258,000 people have lost Medicaid coverage due to paperwork/clerical issues in just Arkansas and Florida alone...in just the first two months of the unwinding process.

New York

via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts to strengthen maternal health, an estimated 509,000 Americans annually are now eligible for essential care for a full year after pregnancy.

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), announced New York’s extension of comprehensive coverage after pregnancy through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for postpartum individuals for a full 12 months.

Last week Amy Lotven of Inside Health Policy noted that the 5th Circuit Court panel was trying to come up with some sort of stopgap solution to the ongoing Braidwood v. Becerra lawsuit until such time as the case winds its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. 

As Lotven reported:

One judge on the federal appeals court panel considering whether an order blocking HHS from enforcing the Affordable Care Act preventive services coverage mandate should continue to be partially stayed through its appeal is urging the parties to pursue a workable resolution, and legal expert Tim Jost says the panel appeared open to the government’s suggestion the court issue a narrow solution that only applies to insurers in Texas.

Michigan

Back in February, I posted an updated & overhauled version of my Michigan healthcare legislative wish list for the newly-elected Democratic majorities in my home states House and Senate.

The list includes 9 major items (some of which actually include a lot more than one provision within them). It really should include ten, since I forgot about implementing a Basic Health Plan program like New York and Minnesota have (and as Oregon is ramping up to do soon as well), but it's still a pretty full plate.

The second and third items on the list include:

via the Maryland Insurance Dept:

Health Carriers Propose Affordable Care Act (ACA) Premium Rates for 2024

  • Public Invited to Submit Comments

BALTIMORE – The Maryland Insurance Administration has received the rate filings containing the proposed 2024 premium rates for Affordable Care Act (ACA) products offered by health and dental carriers in the Individual, Non-Medigap and Small Group markets, which impact approximately 471,000 Marylanders.

via the Connecticut Insurance Commissioner:

The Connecticut Insurance Department has received a total of 10 rate filings from 9 health insurers for plans that will be available on the individual and small group market, both on and off the state-sponsored exchange, Access Health CT. As part of our regulatory responsibilities, we will conduct a thorough examination of these filings to ensure that the requested rates comply with state laws and regulations.

The review process will delve deeply into each submission, requiring insurers to provide justifications and supporting evidence. As always, the rate reviews will be comprehensive, continuing our ongoing efforts to promote transparency and accountability. By utilizing various tools, such as benchmarking and other industry best practices, we strive to maintain a fair and competitive insurance market while prioritizing the interests of consumers.

Every month for years now, the Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) has published a monthly press release with a breakout of total Medicare, Medicaid & CHIP enrollment; the most recent one was posted in late February, and ran through November 2022.

Since December 2022, however, they haven't sent out the normal press release; instead, they included a brief note leading to a Medicaid/CHIP data slideshow , along with another note leading to their new Medicare Monthly Enrollment database.

In any event, according to the spreadsheet I exported, as of February 2023:

via the Pennsylvania Dept. of Human Services website:

Erie, PA - Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Acting Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh and Pennie® Director of External Affairs Chachi Angelo joined representatives from Community Health Net today to highlight how the Shapiro Administration, Pennie, and local health centers are collaborating to support Pennsylvanians through federal changes to Medicaid and CHIP renewal requirements so they can protect their health and stay covered.  

“Everyone deserves the dignity and peace of mind of having access to affordable, high-quality, local health care and knowing they can go to the doctor when they need it. DHS’ goal throughout the renewal process is to make sure that all Pennsylvanians stay covered,” said Acting Secretary Arkoosh. “I urge all Pennsylvanians who get their health coverage through the state Medicaid program to be on the lookout for communications from DHS about your renewal, and to make sure you complete it on time when it’s your turn to renew.”  

via Connect for Health Colorado:

Colorado’s Marketplace Offers Free Enrollment Help and Low-Cost Health Plans

DENVER— For the first time in more than three years, Coloradans who are no longer eligible for Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) or Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) will start to lose their coverage.

Why Coloradans Might Lose Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid Program)

This change was the result of federal legislation passed in winter of 2022: the Omnibus bill, otherwise known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act. It included a provision to end the requirement for states to keep individuals covered by Medicaid during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. 

The Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) estimates that more than 325,000 current members will no longer be eligible for Health First Colorado coverage following their annual eligibility review. These eligibility reviews will be done in the anniversary month of when the person enrolled.

Back in February, I wrote about how the state of Georgia, in an eyebrow-raising move, announced that they were moving from the federal ACA exchange (HealthCare.Gov) onto their own state-based ACA exchange.

While numerous other states have already done the same thing (and several more are in the process of doing so as well), Georgia's move to their own enrollment platform was especially noteworthy for two reasons:

First, because it represents as complete 180-degree turn from their prior attempts (over the course of several years) to eliminate any formal ACA exchange (federal or state-based) in favor of outsourcing it to private insurance carriers & 3rd-party web brokers.

Secondly, because of the timeframe involved:

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