Templates & Toolkits | Feb 28, 2014

Consumer Assistance Resource Guide: Household Composition Eligibility Rules

Manatt Health Solutions

Early evidence from across the nation suggests that consumer assisters are playing a vital role in helping people enroll in the new coverage options made possible by the Affordable Care Act. The following resource guide on Household Composition Eligibility Rules is part of a Consumer Assistance Resource Guide series  developed to help consumer assisters answer some of the most common eligibility and enrollment questions.

To be eligible for Medicaid, CHIP or Advance Premium Tax Credits and Cost Sharing Reductions, an applicant’s total household income must be below a certain level for the number of people in his or her household. This guide, prepared by Manatt Heath Solutions, explains how to determine who is included in an applicant’s household and covers special Medicaid household composition rules for households that include a pregnant woman; grandparents; unmarried, divorced, separated or non-custodial parents; or institutionalized or incarcerated family members. Additionally, the guide explains how eligibility is re-determined when an applicant’s household size changes during the year.


Expert Perspectives

January 14, 2022

New Requirements to Cover Over-the-Counter COVID Tests: Implications for State Insurance Regulators

On January 15, 2022, health insurers will be subject to new federal requirements to cover and waive cost-sharing for over-the-counter diagnostic tests for COVID-19 for the duration of the federal public health emergency. Past federal guidance required insurers to fully cover COVID-19 tests, but allowed them to require enrollees to first obtain a health professional’s determination that a test is medically necessary. The new requirements, published January 10, enable consumers to obtain the tests directly from pharmacies or online retailers without being seen by a health professional. With case rates surging and the costs of over-the-counter COVID-19 tests ranging from $14 to $34, this new benefit should provide significant financial relief to privately insured individuals. This expert perspective focuses on key provisions of the new coverage requirements as well as health equity considerations and implications for state insurance regulators.

New CMS Guidance on Community-Based Mobile Crisis Services

On December 28, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a State Health Official letter providing guidance on the scope of and enhanced payments for qualifying community-based mobile crisis intervention services for Medicaid enrollees experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder crisis. The CMS guidance comes as the United States is grappling with staggering need for mental health and SUD services that has grown as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This expert perspective provides an overview of the new guidance and reviews the requirements for community mobile crisis services.

 

January 7, 2022

The Proposed 2023 Notice of Benefit & Payment Parameters: Implications for States

On December 28, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released its proposed Notice of Benefit & Payment Parameters for plan year 2023. This annual regulation governs core provisions of the Affordable Care Act, including operation of the health insurance marketplaces, standards for insurers, and the risk adjustment program. This expert perspective focuses on provisions of the proposed rule that are of particular import to the state-based marketplaces and state insurance regulators.