Feb, 21, 2025

State Health Updates

  • Arizona – The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) is seeking public input on a proposal to institute work reporting requirements as a condition of coverage. State law requires that the agency submit the proposal (known as AHCCCS Works) to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services by March 30 of each year. 
  • California
    • The Department of Health Care Services, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and California Correctional Health Care Services announced the expansion of the Justice-Involved Reentry Initiative to prisons statewide. The initiative allows eligible incarcerated individuals to enroll in Medi-Cal and receive a targeted set of services during the 90 days prior to their release. 
    • Covered California, the state’s official health insurance Marketplace, announced that 345,711 Californians newly selected a plan for 2025 during open enrollment, bringing overall enrollment to a record-high of nearly two million consumers.
  • Connecticut – Access Health CT, the state’s official health insurance Marketplace, announced its new BusinessPlus platform to help Connecticut business owners manage health benefits more efficiently. BusinessPlus provides access to Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements (ICHRAs) and will launch this summer. 
  • Illinois
    • Governor J.B. Pritzker announced the state’s second round of medical debt cancellations, made possible through the Medical Debt Relief Pilot Program established last year. Over 100,000 Illinoisans have now seen their medical debt automatically erased, using $900,000 to eliminate over $128 million. As a reminder, SHVS published an expert perspective and a Health Affairs Forefront article which track state medical debt cancellation initiatives, as well as state efforts to prevent the inclusion of medical debt on credit reports.
    • Governor Pritzker issued an executive order to combine the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) Division of Mental Health and the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery to create the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery. The new division, which aims to address an overlap in patients who receive services from both divisions, remains part of DHS.
  • Maryland
    • Governor Wes Moore announced that the number of fatal overdoses in Maryland decreased dramatically in 2024. According to preliminary data from Maryland’s Overdo​se Data Dashboard, there were 1,553 fatal overdoses reported in Maryland last year—a 38% decrease than the 2,511 fatal overdoses reported in 2023. However, health department officials note that disparities in overdose are still present among minoritized communities in Maryland, and that work must continue to ensure all communities are connected to care.
    • The Maryland Department of Health announced a new online application for all behavioral health licenses, effective February 10, 2025. The new system will replace the paper-based application process, making it easier for providers to apply and stay in compliance.
  • Massachusetts – The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced it is awarding $10 million to 37 community-based organizations that provide housing and nutrition support services across the state. The funds are intended to help awardees expand and enhance technology and operations to work effectively with MassHealth Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in order to provide health-related social needs services to members. ACOs are groups of doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers that coordinate high-quality care for MassHealth members.
  • Michigan 
    • To help individuals seeking substance-use disorder treatment (SUD) services, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) launched a SUD mapping tool. Providers can be searched by ZIP code, city or county, as well as types of services needed including inpatient, outpatient and medication-assisted treatment, and whether the provider accepts Medicaid.
    • As the state recognizes the one-year anniversary of Michigan’s secure storage law going into effect, MDHHS announced that more than 56,800 free gun locks have been distributed. For more information on gun violence prevention, check out the episode of my podcast, the Princeton Pulse, which discusses a public health approach focused on firearm safety and injury prevention.
  • Nevada – The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services sent a written response to the state senate regarding federal legislation impacting Nevada’s state budget and healthcare coverage. The letter, which was written in response to a legislative request, provides estimates about the impact of federal proposals to change the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), set per capita caps, and changes to provider taxes.
  • New Jersey – Governor Phil Murphy and Department of Banking and Insurance Commissioner Justin Zimmerman announced that Get Covered New Jersey, the state’s official health insurance Marketplace, hit an all-time record enrollment with more than a half a million New Jerseyans signed up for 2025 health coverage. This represents nearly a 30% increase compared to last year’s open enrollment period.
  • New York – Governor Kathy Hochul announced increased funding for United Way of New York City to support the expansion of Choose Healthy Life, a program dedicated to increasing access to health services in underserved communities through the Black church. The expanded initiative will add 10 Choose Healthy Life–funded churches in New York state to the 20 existing churches in New York City.
  • North Carolina – As part of its Direct Support Professional Workforce Plan, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced $3 million to recruit and retain direct support professionals. This workforce is critical in helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live, work and thrive in communities of their choice. They provide a wide range of supports from daily tasks like bathing, eating and taking medications to connecting people with community resources and opportunities.
  • Oregon – The Oregon Health Authority is launching a six-month pilot program in partnership with the Oregon Public Health Institute and the Public Health Institute Bridge Center to improve the accessibility and uptake of addiction care in emergency care settings. The program will train emergency responders to provide medication assisted treatment for opioid-use disorder in the field, before transporting them to the hospital to bridge them to ongoing care. It will also equip emergency departments in these counties with the training and support to implement and improve 24/7 addiction services.