Jul, 07, 2023

State Health Updates

  • Alaska – CMS has granted Alaska additional time (18 months) to initiate renewals due to state-specific challenges and the need to prevent inappropriate losses of coverage.
  • California  
    • The California Department of Health Care Services awarded $30.5 million to 63 groups to support youth mental health through community and evidence-based practices, supporting parents, grandparents, and other family caregivers. The grant awards are part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s $4.7 billion Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health.
    • As part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s $1 billion Master Plan for tackling the fentanyl and opioid crisis, California awarded $5.7 million for opioid and stimulant use education and outreach in Two-Spirit/LGBTQ+ communities. The grants will be used to increase awareness and education about opioids and stimulants, decrease stigma related to substance-use and treatment, and integrate and strengthen treatment referral pathways for opioid use disorder and stimulant use disorder.
  • Delaware – The Division of Public Health issued its biennial report, Impact of Diabetes in Delaware, 2023, which provides information on diabetes prevalence, programming, costs and progress. While the overall five-year age-adjusted mortality rate for diabetes has continued to decline, there are concerns about disparities by race. Non-Hispanic Black adults have a five-year age-adjusted mortality rate for diabetes (34.5 deaths per 100,000 population), which is twice that of non-Hispanic White adults (17.2 deaths per 100,000 population). 
  • Florida – Governor Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 121, which increases the income eligibility limit for subsidized CHIP coverage from 200% to 300% of the federal poverty level.
  • Maryland – The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Treasury approved Maryland’s 1332 waiver extension request to continue implementing the Maryland State Reinsurance Program for another five years. The waiver extension allows Maryland to continue to pursue innovative strategies for providing residents with access to high-quality, affordable, health insurance while retaining the basic protections of the ACA.
  • Michigan – The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services released the 2024 requested rate changes from carriers in the individual and small group market. The proposed changes are currently under review.
  • New Jersey – Department of Banking and Insurance Acting Commissioner Justin Zimmerman issued a bulletin providing guidance to insurance carriers concerning health coverage for transgender individuals to ensure all New Jersey residents have equal access to health coverage and healthcare. The bulletin provides guidance regarding the prohibitions against unfair discrimination in the issuance and administration of health benefit plans in the state.
  • North Dakota – North Dakota Health and Human Services invites parents of children with autism spectrum disorder, providers and other interested stakeholders to provide public comments on the proposed renewal of the Medicaid autism spectrum disorder waiver. Proposed changes to the waiver, which provides services to eligible children and supports parents in their efforts to maximize their child’s development, include the addition of 195 slots and an increase in the qualifying age of children from age 15 through age 17. Other amendments include an enhanced reimbursement rate to provide case management in rural areas and provider rate increases.
  • Oklahoma – The Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) submitted a waiver to CMS to transition from a fee-for-service system to the new comprehensive health delivery system, SoonerSelect. OHCA expects to launch the dental plans with the two qualified dental contracted entities, DentaQuest and LIBERTY Dental, in February 2024. The medical and children’s specialty plans for SoonerSelect are expected to launch in April 2024.
  • Oregon – The Oregon Health Authority has launched a comprehensive new review that will analyze residential mental health and substance-use treatment capacity throughout the state, identify gaps and guide investments, including the allocation of approximately $164 million appointed to expand treatment in the 2023 legislative session.
  • Pennsylvania – The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services announced a change in Medicaid that will allow certain enrolled medical providers to provide care outside a clinical setting to Medicaid enrollees who are experiencing homelessness—a practice known as street medicine. Street medicine uses physical and behavioral health services to address the unique needs and circumstances of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness that are delivered directly to them in their own lived environment.  
  • U.S. Virgin Islands – The U.S. Virgin Islands received CMS approval to extend postpartum coverage for a full year after pregnancy for individuals enrolled in Medicaid. As a reminder, SHVS published an issue brief on the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) option to extend postpartum coverage.
  • Wisconsin – The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) announced four organizations have received funding to help providers better serve communities that continue to experience barriers to accessing behavioral healthcare. Each organization has received one-time grants as part of an ongoing effort by DHS to improve health equity and access.
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