Medicaid

Via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:

CMS marked another important maternal health milestone by approving Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) postpartum coverage expansion in Rhode Island, an opportunity made possible by the American Rescue Plan. With this approval, 32 states and D.C. have extended postpartum Medicaid/CHIP coverage to a full year.

They include links to the approval letters for both Medicaid and CHIP, but the Medicaid one is oddly both extremely brief ("We received your request; it has been approved") and wonky at the same time, while not being in an easy-to-copy text format.

Here's the CHIP letter, however:

Dear Ms. Sousa:

This just in, via CBS News:

The House on Wednesday passed a bill that would raise the debt ceiling and slash trillions of dollars in government spending, delivering House Speaker Kevin McCarthy a victory in his efforts to pressure the White House to begin negotiations ahead of a fast-approaching deadline to avoid a default.

The House voted 217 to 215 to pass the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023, with all but four Republican members voting in favor. The Republicans who voted against the bill were Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Tim Burchett of Tennessee and Matt Gaetz of Florida. No Democrats supported its passage.

The measure would lift the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion or until the end of March 2024, whichever comes first, and cut spending to the tune of $4.5 trillion.

Those cuts mean it's dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate and President Biden has vowed to veto it.

via NY State of Health:

• Since March 2020, Aligned with Federal Continuous Coverage Requirements, Enrollment in NY State of Health Programs has Grown by 41 Percent

• As the Post-Public Health Emergency Redetermination Process Begins, State Has Deployed Multi-pronged Strategy to Maximize Number of Consumers who Maintain Coverage

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 20, 2023) – NY State of Health, the state’s official health plan Marketplace, today released the 2023 Health Insurance Coverage Update, a detailed summary of NY State of Health enrollment, including demographics, quality measures, and the cost savings realized by millions of New Yorkers who have comprehensive health insurance through the Marketplace.  As of January 31, 2023, NY State of Health enrollment is nearly 6.9 million, or more than one in three New Yorkers across the state.

Read the Marketplace’s 2023 Health Insurance Coverage Update here.

via the Maine Dept. of Health & Human Services:

Individuals losing eligibility for MaineCare can enroll in plans on CoverME.gov through July 31, 2024

AUGUSTA— The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced today the launch of a Special Enrollment Period (SEP) through CoverME.gov, Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace, to help Maine people transitioning from MaineCare coverage after the COVID-19 pandemic explore affordable health insurance options and avoid gaps in coverage. The Special Enrollment Period began on April 15, 2023, and will continue through July 31, 2024, allowing Maine individuals found no longer eligible for MaineCare to apply for plans through CoverME.gov outside of the annual Open Enrollment Period.

Yesterday I noted that the Maryland legislature, which has had an excellent record on healthcare reform policy in recent years, had a rare misstep when they took a pass on allowing undocumented immigrants to enroll in the states ACA exchange. While the lack of federal subsidy eligibility would have severely limited the number of undocumented Maryland residents who would be able to utilize this path towards healthcare, it was still a missed opportunity.

Today, however, I can report that the MD legislature has passed several other bills which move things in the right direction. Via Rob Flaks of WMDT:

With just days left in the General Assembly session, Maryland lawmakers have passed a series of bills aimed at expanding healthcare access and combating costs across the state.

Via the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:

Arizona became the latest state to extend postpartum coverage for individuals enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, following CMS’ approval of the state’s postpartum coverage extension state plan amendments (SPAs). The opportunity to extend this coverage was made possible by the American Rescue Plan, and this approval marks 31 states and D.C. that have extended postpartum Medicaid/CHIP coverage to a full year.

I have no idea why the administration hasn't put out a formal standalone press release about this...they've done so for every other state to my knowledge (including Oklahoma just two weeks ago), but whatever; it's still good news!

via NJ Gov. Murphy's website:

Feds Approve Innovative NJ FamilyCare Projects Addressing Housing, Behavioral & Physical Health, Providing Care & Other Creative Approaches

• 1115 Demonstration Approval Continues Long-Standing Medicaid Programs and Allows New Innovations

TRENTON – The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved innovative NJ FamilyCare projects designed to address priorities such as housing, integrating behavioral and physical health services, and new and creative approaches to providing care.

CMS signed off on the projects by approving NJ FamilyCare’s Comprehensive 1115 Demonstration renewal. The 1115 demonstration provides the state with federal authority to operate large parts of the NJ FamilyCare program.  The approval is in effect from April 1, 2023 through June 30, 2028.

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

In December 2022, 92,340,585 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.

• 85,280,085 individuals were enrolled in Medicaid in December 2022, an increase of 425,110

• 7,060,500 individuals were enrolled in CHIP in December 2022, an increase of 87,296 individuals from November 2022.

• Since February 2020, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP has increased by 21,690,345 individuals (30.7%).
  • Medicaid enrollment has increased by 21,474,995 individuals (33.7%).
  • CHIP enrollment has increased by 215,350 individuals (3.1%).

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

In December 2022, 2,360,820 applications for Medicaid and CHIP were submitted directly to states.

via Access Health CT:

Agencies share plan to address HUSKY Health eligibility, redeterminations and enrollment actions

HARTFORD, CT (March 27, 2023) — The Department of Social Services (DSS) and Access Health CT (AHCT) today shared a comprehensive 12-month operational and outreach plan to redetermine eligibility for HUSKY Health enrollees and resume routine public program operations. HUSKY Health is Connecticut’s Medicaid program.

Prior to the pandemic, annual redeterminations of eligibility for the Medicaid program occurred on a monthly basis during the year and terminations were processed for individuals no longer eligible for the program. During the pandemic, the termination process was paused. The federal government passed legislation, known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, that now requires the monthly redeterminations to begin again as of March 31.

via Nevada Health Link:

An estimated 200,000 Nevadans may be redetermined ineligible for Medicaid benefits over the next 14 months, but NevadaHealthLink.com has options to keep them insured

(CARSON CITY, Nev.) – Starting April 1, all Nevadans on Medicaid will start to have their accounts redetermined on an annual basis for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, causing many Nevadans to potentially lose their health care coverage. Nevada Health Link is helping to coordinate the transfer of qualifying applications to NevadaHealthLink.com to ensure Nevadans stay covered.