State Health Updates

COVID- 19 Updates

• Michigan – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced new guidance for schools. The state’s goal is to have all Michigan school districts offer an in-person learning option for students no later than March 1, and earlier if possible. 

• North Carolina – The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is partnering with health systems, local health departments and community health centers across the state to host large community vaccine events for people currently eligible to be vaccinated. More than 45,000 vaccines are expected to be given through these events.

• Washington – Governor Jay Inslee signed the “Healthy Washington – Roadmap to Recovery” proclamation, which he had initially announced last week. The new plan eases some restrictions and outlines the metrics that will be used to determine phases for each region. The Department of Health will evaluate these metrics weekly and will announce any changes to current phase status every Friday.

• Wisconsin
  • The Department of Health Services (DHS) has released two new data features on the COVID-19 vaccine data page. The first is a new visualization that shows the number of Wisconsinites who have successfully completed their COVID-19 vaccine series. The second new feature allows users to filter the COVID-19 vaccines administered per day graph by county or health care emergency readiness coalition (HERC) region. These data represent where the individual who was vaccinated lives and include Wisconsin residents who have received a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • DHS also announced a newsletter the public can sign up for to get direct information about the COVID-19 response and vaccine rollout. Every Friday, a COVID-19 update newsletter will be sent via email to people who sign up to receive it. Registration is now open, and archived copies of the weekly newsletter will also be available.

Other State Updates

• Arizona – AHCCCS submitted its 1115 Waiver demonstration renewal request to CMS on December 22, 2020. The final renewal packet, including a summary of the public comments received, can be found on the AHCCCS Waiver Renewal web page. The current demonstration expires on September 30, 2021. AHCCCS is seeking a five year extension of many existing demonstration authorities.

• Colorado – The Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing released the second edition of Reducing Prescription Drug Costs in Colorado – Cost Drivers and Solutions to Address Them. One of the key findings in the report is that less than 2 percent of the drugs being prescribed to Coloradans drive nearly 50 percent of total prescription drug expenditures.

• New Jersey – The New Jersey Department of Human Services announced it has awarded 18 grants to help communities across the state develop and/or implement inclusive initiatives that support the health and well-being of individuals with disabilities where they live, work, learn and play. The grant program will support communities and ensure that the voice and needs of people with disabilities are included in healthy community planning. 

• Ohio – The Ohio Department of Medicaid announced Gainwell Technologies was selected to be the agency’s single pharmacy benefits manager. The single PBM is structured as a specialized managed care health plan that will be rewarded for patient wellness and health outcomes.

• Oregon – The Implementation Committee for Oregon’s Sustainable Health Care Cost Growth Target Program adopted recommendations to the Legislature including setting Oregon’s health care cost growth target at 3.4 percent for the first five years (2021-2025). The 3.4 percent target is based on historical economic data including Oregon’s gross state product and median wage. The Committee will submit a full report detailing their recommendations to the Legislature.

• Pennsylvania – The Department of Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller announced that enrollment statewide for Medicaid has increased by 300,076 people since February 2020, for a total enrollment of 3,131,639 people in November–a 10.6 percent increase. ·        Texas – The Department of Health and Human Services is launching a new website featuring videos and the latest information and helpful resources to promote Texas Targeted Opioid Response (TTOR), a statewide public health effort to fight against opioid addiction and overdose. The new website, TXopioidresponse.org, is available in English and Spanish and provides tips for safe opioid use, as well as information about the dangers of misusing prescription opioid medications