Mar, 17, 2023

State Health Updates

  • District of Columbia – The Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF), the District of Columbia’s state Medicaid agency, announced the start of a public awareness campaign to update enrollee contact information and renew their health coverage. The campaign will include grassroots outreach through neighborhood and citywide events; regular virtual meetings hosted by DHCF on Medicaid renewal; an advertising campaign that touches every Ward in the District that directs enrollees on steps to renew; and a “Stakeholder Communications Toolkit” to assist outreach from community-based organizations, government agencies, and other stakeholders who support and provide services to Medicaid enrollees.
  • Illinois – The Pritzker administration is launching an all-out public awareness initiative to ensure Illinoisans retain their health insurance coverage when Medicaid eligibility verifications resume. The Department of Healthcare and Family Services’ public effort, coined Ready to Renew, is a multi-platform outreach campaign that includes paid advertisements, print, digital and broadcast communication, and grassroots outreach to help Medicaid enrollees ensure they are ready for required upcoming coverage renewals.
  • Kansas – Governor Laura Kelly announced the release of a comprehensive cancer prevention and control plan in Kansas. The plan outlines how the state will allocate resources over the next five years to prevent cancer and reduce the disease’s burden on Kansans who have been diagnosed with cancer and their families.
  • Maine
    • The Maine Department of Health and Human Services published a communications toolkit for community-based organizations, partners, providers, and other stakeholders to inform MaineCare (Medicaid) enrollees about the upcoming renewal process. The toolkit, along with Maine’s unwinding webpage, provides important resources to help inform people with MaineCare about the steps they need to take to avoid losing coverage.
    • The Bureau of Insurance in the state of Maine announced that the Small Business Health Insurance Premium Relief Program has been extended through July 2023, following an additional $6.5 million of funding designated for the program included in the state’s supplemental budget. The program provides premium payment relief to Maine small businesses who are enrolled in a fully-insured, community-rated small group comprehensive health insurance plan.
  • Minnesota – Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order to protect access to gender affirming healthcare in Minnesota. The executive order protects gender affirming healthcare by directing state agencies to take a number of actions, such as investigating and taking administrative actions for unfair or deceptive practices related to the denial of gender affirming healthcare services; preparing a report summarizing the literature on the scientific evidence about the safety and effectiveness of gender affirming healthcare and its public health effects; and declining to help other states that try to penalize individuals and entities seeking gender affirming healthcare services.
  • Mississippi – Governor Tate Reeves signed Senate Bill 2212, which extends Medicaid postpartum care from two to 12 months. As a reminder, SHVS published an issue brief on the American Rescue Plan Act’s option to extend postpartum coverage.
  • North Carolina – The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services launched an improved QuitlineNC, offering more services and ways for tobacco users to successfully quit smoking or stop using other tobacco products, including vaping and e-cigarettes. Those seeking to quit smoking can now access “Quit Coaches” through live chat or text, watch group videos and create a personalized dashboard to track their quitting progress.
  • Oregon – Governor Tina Kotek announced that she is beginning a search for a permanent director of the Oregon Health Authority.
  • Rhode Island – Rhode Island created a new webpage to inform Medicaid enrollees about the continuous coverage unwinding. The page features SHVS’ Continuous Coverage Unwinding: Enrollee Outreach Video, customized for Rhode Island. Each state can customize the end card of the videos with specific branding elements, such as agency logos, call center phone numbers, and web addresses. If you are interested in a customizable end card, please contact Laura Buddenbaum at lbuddenbaum@princeton.edu.