Jan, 27, 2023

State Health Updates

  • California – CMS approved a first-of-its-kind section 1115 demonstration amendment in California that will provide a set of critical pre-release services and improve access to critically needed care for people returning home from jails and prisons. Medi-Cal will be able to cover substance use treatment before a Medicaid enrollee is released from jail, prison, or a youth correctional facility. Additionally, the state will be able to help connect the person to community-based Medicaid providers 90 days prior to their release to ensure they can continue their treatment after they return to the community.
  • Colorado
    • The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing issued an update to community partners on the return to renewals following the end of the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement, which includes information on the state’s timeline for unwinding continuous coverage, with noticing beginning in March and renewals due in May. The notice also invited community partners to attend a January 25 webinar to learn how the state is refining operational plans, timelines, communication toolkits, websites, partner FAQs, and other materials. Finally, the Department announced that a new “Take Action on Your Renewal” toolkit will be released in February 2023 and will include language for email, newsletters and social media communications.
    • Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s marketplace, reported that 201,758 Coloradans enrolled in a health insurance plan during the open enrollment period for 2023 coverage, an increase of approximately 3,000 plan enrollments above last year’s total. Additionally, 10,416 people enrolled in health insurance through Colorado Connect, the majority of which were from the OmniSalud Program for Coloradans who are undocumented.
  • Illinois – Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a healthcare omnibus bill that changes the definition of rural emergency hospitals, expands eligible provider types for applied behavior analysis, and extends a fee waiver for providers to include podiatrists. The bill also allows county nursing homes to participate in the nursing home tax and assessment and provides one-time emergency funding for mental health and substance use disorder crisis intervention services.
  • Kansas – Governor Laura Kelly announced a new youth mental health hospital to begin providing care in the state. The facility will provide both inpatient and residential treatment for youth in need of intensive services to help them stabilize, build resilience, and develop coping skills so they can return home as soon as safely possible to continue outpatient treatment in their community.
  • Maryland – The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange announced a record number of 182,166 Marylanders enrolled in coverage for 2023. Enrollment grew from a year ago by nearly 3% for individuals who self-identified as Black, by 9% for Latino/a residents, and by nearly 13% for Latino/a young adults ages 18 to 34.
  • Michigan – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services launched a new tool, the Michigan Substance Use Vulnerability Index (MI-SUVI), to help stakeholders target efforts to address substance use issues specifically facing their communities. Previously, overdose mortality data alone was relied on to identify areas with higher substance use and did not consider a community’s access to resources. MI-SUVI uses data on access to services, social vulnerability and substance use burden to create a county-level vulnerability score or index.
  • Nevada – Nevada Health Link announced that 96,379 Nevadans enrolled in health insurance plans during this year’s open enrollment, 18,117 of which were new enrollees.
  • New Mexico – The New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) released the 2023 Primary Care Council Strategic Plan and the Primary Care Payment Model Provider and Clinician Readiness Assessment, to transform primary care delivery in the state. HSD is seeking public comment on the strategic plan and the readiness assessment. The council is also seeking participation from clinicians and providers for upcoming workshops on primary care Medicaid payment reform. 
  • New York – Governor Kathy Hochul announced the availability of up to $7.5 million for state-certified providers and other treatment programs to establish low threshold buprenorphine services to address opioid use disorder. The grants will be the first to tap New York state’s Opioid Settlement Fund and will help develop up to 15 programs offering this safe, effective treatment for opioid use disorder.
  • Ohio – Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran launched Comprehensive Maternal Care (CMC)—a community-based, statewide program aimed at improving the health and well-being of moms, infants, and families covered by Medicaid. To participate, obstetrical practices are required to measure and engage with patients and families through advisory councils or other means to hear firsthand accounts of how access to care, cultural competence, and communication methods affect patient outcomes. Practices must use patient input to improve the patient experience and reduce disparities.
  • Virginia – The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services announced that some Virginia Medicaid members will receive renewal information in the mail beginning March 18, 2023, with disenrollments starting no earlier than April 30, 2023. The bulletin asks advocates to assist Medicaid members to understand the renewal process and complete any actions required as soon as possible.
  • Washington – The Washington State Health Care Authority issued a notice about the end of Medicaid continuous coverage and the state’s expected timeline, with renewals beginning April 1, 2023.
  • Wisconsin – The Wisconsin Department of Health Services launched a survey asking the public to share thoughts on how to use a second round of opioid settlement funds, to provide guidance on where money should be spent to reduce harms associated with opioid use disorder. Approximately $8 million will be available to support existing or new projects and programs in communities across Wisconsin. People can make their recommendations through the survey until February 17, 2023.
  • Wyoming – The Wyoming Department of Health announced that Lee Grossman will be the new state Medicaid director and senior administrator of the Division of Healthcare Financing. Jan Stall has been serving in these roles on an interim basis since last January and intends to retire in March.
  • Alabama and North Dakota – CMS approved Medicaid and CHIP postpartum coverage expansions in Alabama and a Medicaid postpartum coverage expansion in North Dakota through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Nationally, more than 439,000 people across 28 states and the District of Columbia now have access to Medicaid and CHIP coverage for a full 12 months following pregnancy—up from just 60 days before the ARP. As a reminder, SHVS published an issue brief that examines the ARP postpartum coverage extension.