Unwinding of the Public Health Emergency: What’s Next for States
On Wednesday, November 2 State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar on the key considerations and requirements for state Medicaid/CHIP agencies at the end of the PHE. The webinar reviewed making permanent or terminating temporary COVID-19 flexibilities and returning to normal eligibility and enrollment processes. Presenters highlighted the intersection with our dynamic policy environment, including the recent CMS Proposed Rule on Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal.
CMS Proposed Rule on Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal: Implications for States
On Monday, October 17, State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar that provided an overview of the proposed rule released by CMS that seeks to strengthen existing eligibility, enrollment, and renewal operational processes. During the webinar experts from Manatt Health highlighted the intersection with unwinding and the end of the public health emergency, discussed key considerations related to the new policy, IT systems, and operational process changes, and reviewed opportunities for state policymakers to provide comment. The webinar drew on the expert perspective CMS Proposed Rule on Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal that summarizes the proposed rule.
Buying Value: Measures That Matter
On Wednesday, July 20, State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar facilitated by experts from Bailit Health. The webinar explored how the Buying Value suite of resources can help states, employers, consumer organizations and providers implement quality measures to incentivize high-quality, high-value healthcare. The webinar highlighted two free, Excel-based tools, the Buying Value Measure Selection Tool and the Buying Value Benchmark Repository.
Experiences Implementing Social Risk Factor Screening Measures in Medicaid
On Tuesday, June 14, State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar that featured state officials and Medicaid managed care entities from Rhode Island and Massachusetts who shared their experiences implementing social risk factor screening measurement. The webinar highlighted states who have implemented social risk factor screening measures for incentive use in managed care contracts. States use these social risk factor screening measures to hold plans and provider entities accountable for identifying Medicaid members affected by risk factors, such as homelessness and food insecurity.
State Strategies to Support Afghan Evacuees in Accessing Health Coverage
On Wednesday, October 6 State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar that provided an overview of eligibility standards for evacuees and strategies that states can deploy to expeditiously enroll people into health coverage in order to access care. Tens of thousands of Afghans who fled the Taliban are awaiting resettlement, with many having already arrived in the U.S. living on military bases and being processed in several states. During the webinar, experts from Manatt Health reviewed CMS guidance that was released on September 27, 2021 to help states understand what health coverage options are available to Afghan evacuees.
The slide deck has been updated as of March 16, 2022 to reflect an updated factsheet CMS released on November 1, 2021 as well as the latest information on the number of states resettling Afghan nationals.
Centering Health Equity in Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstrations
On Tuesday, February 15, State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar, Centering Health Equity in Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstrations. Many states are looking to Medicaid as a critical lever for advancing health equity, and states have multiple tools and authorities in Medicaid to advance health equity through coverage and benefit policy, delivery system and payment reform, and innovations that impact social drivers of health. During the webinar experts from Manatt Health provided an overview of Medicaid’s role in promoting health equity and ways states can advance health equity and address structural racism throughout the Section 1115 demonstration lifecycle, from planning to implementation to monitoring, and evaluation.
IT Systems and Data Strategies to Prepare for Medicaid Continuous Coverage Unwinding
On Wednesday, November 10 State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar that provided an overview of strategies for states seeking to ensure that eligible enrollees are able to keep or transition to new affordable health coverage when the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement ends. States will be resuming eligibility and enrollment activities for all enrollees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and as part of their planning, states have an opportunity to retain coverage gains experienced over the pandemic period by taking steps to ensure that eligible enrollees are able to keep Medicaid/CHIP coverage, and those who are eligible for subsidized Marketplace coverage are transitioned and enrolled. Experts from Manatt Health and McKinsey & Company discussed how states can prepare now by deploying strategies to update enrollee contact information, and make other eligibility and enrollment technology changes to better serve their residents.
Enforcement of the No Surprises Act: Considerations for States
To explore enforcement considerations across potentially multiple state agencies, State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar on Thursday, November 4 at 1:00pm ET, during which experts from the Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms and GMMB provided an overview of federal regulators’ proposed approach to enforcement of the NSA as well as shared strategies to consider in planning provider and consumer education efforts. The webinar also included presentations from three states on their enforcement approaches to the NSA: Maryland, Pennsylvania and Texas, followed by a question and answer session.
Promoting Health Equity in Medicaid Managed Care
On Monday, November 1, State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar that reviewed steps states can take to integrate health equity into their Medicaid managed care programs. Medicaid’s role in providing healthcare coverage to individuals who experience economic and social disadvantage is leading many states to integrate health equity into their population health management strategies, focusing specific attention on reducing health disparities and addressing conditions that create health inequities. The webinar profiled the recently published Promoting Health Equity in Medicaid Managed Care: A Guide for States, a practical guide that offers a series of concrete actions state Medicaid agencies can implement internally and with their contracted health plans in pursuit of health equity. During the webinar, experts from Bailit Health reviewed the three sections of the Guide and facilitated a discussion with state officials.
Click here for webinar recording
Strategies for States to Drive Equitable Vaccine Distribution and Administration
On Thursday, August 12, State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar during which experts from Manatt Health and Health Equity Solutions provided an overview of the strategies states can pursue in partnership with community-based organizations to reduce disparities in COVID-19 vaccine uptake, and in the longer term, to build a more equitable and sustainable public health system. While more than 20 states and the District of Columbia reached the Biden administration’s goal of administering one or more COVID-19 vaccine doses to at least 70 percent of adults by early July, wide variation in vaccination rates persists across communities within these states and among the 30 states still working to reach this goal. This variation in vaccination rates at the community level translates to disparities across racial and ethnic groups, as most states continue to have disparities in vaccination rates between Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and white populations. States and their community partners are implementing a broad range of distribution and outreach strategies to improve vaccine equity and are looking to build sustainable infrastructure and capacity to advance health equity within state and local public health and health care delivery systems.