Apr, 12, 2024

State Health Updates

  • Arkansas – The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) released a Medicaid Sustainability Review report that details a variety of different service delivery options for controlling spending while maintaining or improving Medicaid services in the coming years. DHS is collecting feedback from legislators, stakeholders, providers, enrollees, and others about the options included in the review.
  • California
    • The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), in partnership with the California Health Care Foundation, launched the Health Equity Roadmap initiative to engage Medi-Cal members of Black, Indigenous, and communities of color in DHCS’ collective work to eliminate health disparities and advance health equity for Medi-Cal members. 
    • Covered California, the state’s official health insurance Marketplace, announced that it is leveraging Google Cloud’s AI solutions to automate parts of the documentation and verification process when residents apply for coverage. Once the solution is live in June, residents will be able to securely upload their documents through the Covered California online application and receive instant verification status. 
  • Colorado – The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing submitted an amendment to the state’s 1115 waiver on April 1, 2024 seeking: criminal justice reentry services effective July 2025; serious mental illness and serious emotional disturbance (SMI & SED) inpatient care effective July 2025; continuous eligibility coverage for children zero to three years of age effective January 2026; and continuous eligibility coverage for adults released from Colorado Department of Corrections facilities effective January 2026.
  • Illinois
    • The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced it has awarded $2 million to three organizations to provide training that will increase access to safe, high-quality abortions across the state. The grants were awarded by IDPH’s Office of Women’s Health & Family Services to the Midwest Access Project, Planned Parenthood of Illinois, and the University of Illinois Chicago College of Nursing.
    • Governor JB Pritzker announced that Illinois Department of Insurance Director Dana Popish Severinghaus will step down from her role on April 15 after serving since January 2021. Governor Pritzker has appointed State Senator Ann Gillespie as new Acting Director, pending Senate confirmation.
  • Missouri – The MO HealthNet Division increased the freestanding birth center facility fee-for-service maximum allowable rate. A freestanding birth center is defined as a facility, not licensed as part of a hospital, which provides maternity care for low risk births.
  • New York – The New York Department of Health, NY State of Health, and the Department of Financial Services announced that effective January 1, 2025, there will no longer be waiting periods for the majority of adult dental services for Individual Stand-Alone Dental Plans available to purchase on the Marketplace. This change is the first of a multi-phased initiative to improve dental products and the dental plan shopping experience for consumers.
  • North Carolina
    • The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announced the July 1 launch of Tailored Plans, a new kind of managed care health plan for approximately 210,000 enrollees with a serious mental illness, a serious emotional disturbance, a severe substance-use disorder, an intellectual/developmental disability (I/DD), or a traumatic brain injury. The plans will cover doctor visits, prescription drugs, and services for mental health, substance-use, I/DD and traumatic brain injury in one plan.    
    • NCDHHS announced a two-year plan to invest approximately $15 million in nine behavioral health urgent care centers. This investment will increase the state’s capacity to provide behavioral health urgent care by nearly 50%. As an alternative to emergency departments, behavioral health urgent care offers 24-hour access to mental health specialists who can assist with diagnosis and assessment, medication management and treatment options.
  • Pennsylvania 
    • Following Governor Josh Shapiro’s announcement urging health insurers to provide coverage for over-the-counter (OTC) contraceptives with or without prescription, CVS Health Plans and Geisinger Health Plans will now cover OTC contraceptives with or without a prescription at no cost.
    • The Department of Health announced $1.8 million in grant funding for community-based organizations to help address maternal health. Organizations can apply for funding to develop and lead regional coalitions that will select and implement recommendations from the 2024 Pennsylvania Maternal Mortality Review Committee report to improve maternal health at the local level.
  • Texas – Texas submitted a request to extend the Medicaid section 1115(a) demonstration entitled “Healthy Texas Women” for an additional five years. This demonstration aims to increase and strengthen coverage for low-income women in Texas through the provision of a benefit package for women who would not otherwise be eligible for family planning and preventative services under Texas Medicaid. The demonstration provides family planning services as well as other women’s health services that contribute to preconception care, better birth outcomes and improved maternal health. 
  • Vermont – CMS approved a state plan amendment (SPA) for mobile crisis services in Vermont. This is the 17th mobile crisis SPA approved. As a reminder, SHVS published an expert perspective on the enhanced payment available through the ARP for community-based mobile crisis services.