Issue Briefs | May 14, 2018

Medicaid Buy-In: State Options, Design Considerations and Section 1332 Waiver Implications

Patricia Boozang, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure and Ashley Traube, Manatt Health

States continue to identify and pursue strategies to further reduce the number of uninsured, to make coverage more affordable for consumers and to improve access to care. Several proposals have been introduced at both the federal and state levels that would permit people above Medicaid eligibility levels to “buy in” to Medicaid or would leverage the Medicaid program to strengthen coverage across the individual market and Medicaid. This issue brief presents two possible models for a Medicaid buy-in program for states, and details the design considerations and authorities needed to implement each model.

The State Health Policy Highlight, Medicaid Buy-In: What Is It? And How Can It Be Useful to States? provides an overview of the concept of Medicaid buy-in and outlines the issues states can solve for by implementing a Medicaid buy-in program.

State Health and Value Strategies hosted a companion webinar, Medicaid Buy-in: State Options and Design Considerations based on the issue brief that provided an overview on Medicaid buy-in and explored the two models profiled in the issue brief.


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.