1332 State Innovation Waivers: HHS and Treasury Guidance on 1332 Waivers
The State Network 1332 Waivers Affinity Group continued with a presentation from the team at Manatt Health Solutions. This webinar included a review of the basics around 1332 waivers, including what is allowed to be waived and the guardrails that apply to waivers. Following recent joint agency guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of the Treasury, the team at Manatt reviewed the ways in which the guardrails are further defined, and the standards that will apply to them.
A Look at Marketplace Models: How Can They Help States Achieve Their Goals?
The recently released Proposed Payment Notice for 2017 formalizes a fourth model of marketplace – State-Based Marketplace/Federal Platform. Along with State Based Marketplaces, State Partnership Marketplaces and the Federally Facilitated Marketplace, states have a range of choices for what their Marketplace looks like. A key question for states will be how these different models help to achieve coverage goals.
Developing a State-based Quality Measurement Program Using an Episode-of-Care Framework: Recommendations for State Purchasers
In attempting to move toward value-based payments, there exist the inherent challenges posed by the availability of data. States wishing to accelerate the transformation of the existing delivery system into one that delivers high quality and affordable health care have to take action to develop a comprehensive data collection and reporting mechanism. Such an approach can be taken using episodes of medical care as the central unit of measure.
Implementing State Payment Reform Strategies at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) traditionally provide health care services primarily to low-income individuals who are covered by Medicaid or who are uninsured. As state Medicaid programs increase their focus on value-based payment, it is important to consider how FQHCs may participate in payment reform strategies. This brief provides an overview of FQHC cost reporting, delves into state payment reform strategies that Include FQHCs, and offers considerations for states and FQHCs alike.
Medicaid and the Indian Health Service: States to Receive Additional Federal Funds
Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans to increase the range of Medicaid services furnished by Indian Health Services (IHS) eligible for 100 percent federal match. This proposal, which will effectively reduce states’ costs for Medicaid expansion and buffer the impending decrease in the federal matching rate for newly eligible adults after 2016, may be of particular interest to states with a significant American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) population.
1332 State Innovation Waivers: Lessons Learned from the Basic Health Program
The State Network 1332 Waivers Affinity Group webinar series continued with a new presentation from the team at Manatt Health Solutions. This webinar focused on funding issues, and dove into the mechanics of repurposing existing federal subsidies under a different coverage affordability model.
Medicaid Expansion and Criminal Justice Costs: Pre-Expansion Studies and Emerging Practices Point Toward Opportunities for States
The expansion of Medicaid under the ACA in many states has generated substantial interest in the potential role that Medicaid may play in tackling pressing criminal justice issues. Recent research by Manatt Health Solutions has examined the fiscal implications of Medicaid expansion. This issue brief, the fourth in this series, examines state experiences prior to expansion, focusing on state savings associated with providing health care services and social support to justice-involved individuals through state-funded programs, and also highlights some of the new approaches being adopted by states with Medicaid expansion to connect justice-involved individuals to coverage and care.
Building on Year One 1095-A Form Success: Marketplaces’ Recommendations for Future Tax Seasons
Tax year 2014 marked the first year during which all health insurance marketplaces were required to report information about Advance Premium Tax Credits (APTCs) to enrollees through Form 1095-A, which was developed by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and used by enrollees to fill out new tax forms. In order to address potential concerns leading up to the execution of this process, the State Network convened a workgroup of states, led by Manatt Health Solutions, which enabled discussion of implementation challenges and solutions. Many of the expected challenges associated with this process were addressed in advance, allowing the marketplaces to provide most forms in a timely fashion and develop solutions to challenges as they arose.
Qualified Health Plan Review in Marketplaces with State Plan Management: An Analysis of the Division of Labor Between State Exchanges and Other State Agencies
States have implemented a variety of different methods to handle the review and certification of qualified health plans (QHPs). The Health Insurance Exchanges (HIX) Research Group at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at Wharton (LDI) recently collected data from 30 states, including those with State Based Marketplaces (SBMs), State Partnership Marketplaces (SPMs), Supported State Based Marketplaces (SSBMs), and Federally Facilitated Marketplaces (FFMs) with state plan management. This brief summarizes the findings within this dataset, which outlines the various plan management and certification functions assumed by different state agencies across these marketplace models.
Social Media Insights, Best Practices, and Tips for OEP3 and Beyond
As health insurance exchanges approach the third open enrollment period under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), social media platforms continue to represent vital channels through which exchanges can reach consumers. Using social media to inform and educate consumers about the availability of affordable coverage options through the marketplace can be a critical component of an exchange’s communications plan, but also requires an understanding of some of the most effective ways of using them. This slide deck, prepared by GMMB, provides an overview of several social media channels, as well as key insights and tips for making sure that exchanges are utilizing them as effectively as possible.