State Health Updates
- Arizona – Carmen Heredia was appointed Director of the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, Arizona’s Medicaid program, following Jami Snyder’s departure. Heredia previously served as CEO at a community health and behavioral health provider organization.
- California – The Department of Healthcare Services awarded $52 million to providers of medication-assisted treatment services. These funds will support the prevention, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of opioid and substance use disorders, as well as recovery.
- District of Columbia – DC Health Link hosted its eighth Annual Hispanic Health Leadership Symposium. Panelists discussed the health issues that most impact the Latino(a) community, healthcare access and resources for the immigrant community, and the value of and access to health insurance.
- Georgia
- Georgia established a state health insurance exchange called Georgia Access, which directs individuals to brokers and health insurance company websites. Individuals can still purchase exchange coverage using the federal HealthCare.gov website.
- The Georgia Department of Community Health released a request for statements of qualifications from Medicaid managed care plans for the state’s Georgia Families, the state’s Medicaid program, and Georgia Families 360 program, the state’s Medicaid program for children in foster care or out of home placement.
- Kansas – The state submitted a request to extend for five years its Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration entitled “KanCare.” The extension application proposes to transition features of the KanCare program out of the Section 1115 demonstration and into more permanent federal authorities such as state plan amendments and Section 1915(b) waivers. The application also seeks to continue three current KanCare features which need Section 1115 authority, including: 12-months continuous eligibility for certain low-income parents or caretaker adults; federal financial participation for services provided in an Institute for Mental Disease to Medicaid enrollees with a substance use disorder; and continuous eligibility for children enrolled in KanCare under CHIP who turn 19 during the public health emergency.
- Louisiana – Governor John Bel Edwards announced a series of events to mark the seven-year anniversary of the expansion of Medicaid in Louisiana, noting that the state’s uninsured rate fell from 22.7% before Medicaid expansion to 9.4% in the first seven years of expansion.
- Massachusetts – Massachusetts selected 20 Community Partners across the Commonwealth as partners for the 17 MassHealth Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Community Partners work together with ACOs to support MassHealth members with significant behavioral health and complex long-term services and supports needs. Over the last three years, the Community Partners program has shown a 21% reduction in ER visits, a 30% reduction in behavioral health admissions, and a 20% reduction in risk-adjusted total cost of care.
- Minnesota – MNsure Chief Executive Officer Nate Clark announced his plan to retire on March 15, 2023 after over four years leading Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace. Libby Caulum, MNsure senior director of public affairs, was named acting CEO, effective March 16, 2023.
- Nebraska – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services will soon launch a new feature of the iServe Nebraska portal called Explore Benefits, an anonymous, mobile-friendly, pre-screening tool to help Nebraskans identify benefits for which they may qualify.
- New Jersey
- The Murphy administration announced funding for reproductive healthcare providers as part of ongoing efforts to expand protections for and access to reproductive healthcare in New Jersey. The funding includes 0% interest loans for upgrades at reproductive healthcare facilities and grants for security enhancements.
- Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman detailed how individuals will soon be able to anonymously obtain naloxone for free at participating pharmacies at any time. Under the initiative, those age 14 and over will be able to request and obtain naloxone for free without having to provide a name, reason, or a prescription.
- New York – Governor Hochul announced a multi-year plan to expand mental healthcare. The plan includes increasing operational capacity by 1,000 beds for inpatient psychiatric treatment, creating 3,500 units of housing to serve New Yorkers with mental illness, increasing insurance coverage for mental health services, expanding outpatient services, and creating systemic accountability for hospital admissions and discharges to better address the needs of individuals suffering with mental illness. These proposals, over time, will reflect more than $1 billion in investment in mental health.
- North Dakota – The North Dakota Health and Human Services’ Medicaid program extended postpartum healthcare coverage for eligible enrollees from 60 days to 12 months, to help address health needs after birth.
- Rhode Island – Rhode Island submitted a request to extend the state’s Section 1115 waiver demonstration, which covers the entire Medicaid program, effective January 2024 through December 2028. The extension would build on the existing demonstration’s elements of equity and access while implementing new focused enhancements, such as housing stabilization and pre-release supports for incarcerated individuals.
- Washington – The Washington Health Benefit Exchange announced it has selected Ingrid Ulrey as the organization’s next Chief Executive Officer. Most recently, Ulrey was Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Region 10—which encompasses Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska and the 272 federally-recognized tribes within them.