Dec, 22, 2023

State Health Updates

  • California – As part of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Kids’ Mental Health, the Department of Health Care Services awarded $150 million to 262 organizations. Through the funding, California intends to increase access to critical behavioral health interventions and services, including those focused on prevention, early intervention, and resiliency/recovery, for children, youth, and young adults.
  • Maryland – Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order establishing Maryland’s Office of Overdose Response within the Maryland Department of Health. The office will coordinate and promote efforts across state agencies to address the overdose crisis in Maryland.
  • Michigan 
    • The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is seeking bids from vendors to support a Recovery Incentives Pilot project for Medicaid and Healthy Michigan Plan enrollees. The pilot will use contingency management, a type of cognitive behavioral therapy that provides motivational incentives to people living with a substance-use disorder who achieve their treatment goals. The department anticipates launching the pilot in October 2024.
    • Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed House Bill 4276, which is aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs by increasing transparency and expanding oversight of costs associated with prescription drugs. 
  • Missouri – MO HealthNet, the state’s Medicaid program, has launched the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies initiative. The mission of Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies is to achieve better health outcomes by connecting women to quality healthcare and supportive resources that will provide healthy, successful pregnancy and postpartum experiences for both mom and baby. The Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies website offers a hub of information for women, to support them and their children through their journeys to motherhood, from conception through postpartum. 
  • New Mexico – New Mexico Medicaid received federal approval to extend continuous coverage to children from birth to age six, benefiting 92,842 children. Starting January 1, 2024, this expansion eliminates the need for annual Medicaid renewals for this age group. Additionally, the Medicaid Home visiting program will be expanded to more providers, offering important early support to new families during pregnancy and post-birth.
  • North Carolina 
    • The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) launched a dashboard to track monthly enrollment in Medicaid for people eligible through expansion. The NC Medicaid Expansion Enrollment Dashboard offers a detailed overview of enrollment trends in newly eligible adults ages 19 to 64 who can now apply for full healthcare coverage. The platform provides a look at enrollee characteristics that include age, race, ethnicity and other demographics. Information on the percentage of eligible adults newly enrolled in Medicaid by county and type of health plan, as well as specifically within rural areas of the state, is also shared.
    • NCDHHS is joining a coalition of southeastern states, insurers and national leaders in healthcare and public health for a collaborative effort to combat rising congenital syphilis rates. Examples of strategies the collaborative is exploring include improving screening of pregnant people in all settings and increasing provider outreach and education. 
  • Wisconsin – The Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ announced that the most recent weekly Respiratory Virus Surveillance Report shows that COVID-19 activity is continuing to increase, sending more people to emergency rooms, especially among people aged 65 and older. The state’s free telehealth service has been extended through April to connect Wisconsinites to care from their own homes.