CHIP

New York

via New York State of Health:

June 30, 2023

Governor Kathy Hochul today encouraged eligible New Yorkers to renew their health insurance coverage as insurance renewal deadlines rapidly approach. The Governor also issued a public service announcement to get the message out to New Yorkers.

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.

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

In February 2023, 93,373,794 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.

  • 86,174,094 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid in January 2023, an increase of 291,095 individuals from January 2023.
  • 7,199,700 individuals were enrolled in CHIP in February 2023, an increase of 111,838 individuals from January 2023.
  • Since February 2020, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP has increased by 22,723,554 individuals (32.2%).
    • Medicaid enrollment has increased by 22,369,004 individuals (35.1%).
    • CHIP enrollment has increased by 354,550 individuals (5.2%).

The Medicaid enrollment increases are likely driven by COVID-19 and the continuous enrollment condition in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

Michigan

via Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's website:

May 09, 2023

To: State Department Directors and Autonomous Agency Heads

From: Governor Gretchen Whitmer

The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, passed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, required Medicaid programs to keep participants continuously enrolled and provided additional federal funding to do so.  In December 2022, Congress passed a law ending the continuous enrollment and winding down the associated federal funding.  As a result, more than 3 million Michiganders will need to undergo redeterminations for Medicaid coverage or find alternative health insurance if they no longer qualify.

During the COVID pandemic emergency, Congress passed legislation which, among other things, required states to provide "continuous coverage" of people who enrolled in Medicaid or the CHIP program.

Normally Medicaid/CHIP enrollees have their eligibility statuses "redetermined" every month (or quarter in some states, I believe) to make sure they were still eligible for the program, but the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) stated that in order to receive increased federal funding of their Medicaid/CHIP programs, states couldn't kick anyone off as long as the public health emergency was in place (unless they died, moved out of state or asked to be disenrolled).

This requirement ended effective April 1st, 2023 via an omnibus bill passed back in December.

via the Maryland Insurance Administration:

The national COVID-19 Public Health Emergency is scheduled to end on May 11, 2023.

What does that mean for your health insurance coverage? Here is what to expect with regard to COVID-19 Testing, Vaccinations, and Treatments.

COVID-19 TESTING:

via the NJ Dept. of Banking & Insurance:

New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Establishes Extended Special Enrollment Period at Get Covered New Jersey for Individuals Losing NJ FamilyCare Coverage

TRENTON – New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Marlene Caride today announced the creation of an extended Special Enrollment Period for individuals who are no longer eligible for NJ FamilyCare and qualify for health insurance through Get Covered New Jersey, the state’s Official Health Insurance Marketplace.

Per federal law, the Department of Human Services is restarting eligibility reviews for NJ FamilyCare as of April 1, which will result in some individuals who are no longer eligible being disenrolled from the program. For those who no longer qualify for NJ FamilyCare because their income is too high, they may be eligible to obtain health coverage through Get Covered New Jersey and may be able to get help paying for premiums.

via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:

  • Newly proposed standards and requirements would better ensure access to care, accountability, and transparency for Medicaid or CHIP services, including home and community-based services. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today unveiled two notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRMs), Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services (Access NPRM) and Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality (Managed Care NPRM),that together would further strengthen access to and quality of care across Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the nation’s largest health coverage programs. These rules build on Medicaid’s already strong foundation as an essential program for millions of families and individuals, especially children, pregnant people, older adults, and people with disabilities. 

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

In January 2023, 93,008,246 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.

  • 85,915,795 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid in January 2023, an increase of 629,200 individuals from December 2022.
  • 7,092,451 individuals were enrolled in CHIP in January 2023, an increase of 30,891 individuals from December 2022.
  • Since February 2020, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP has increased by 22,358,006 individuals (31.6%).
    • Medicaid enrollment has increased by 22,110,705 individuals (34.7%).
    • CHIP enrollment has increased by 247,301 individuals (3.6%).

The Medicaid enrollment increases are likely driven by COVID-19 and the continuous enrollment condition in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA).

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