Mar, 14, 2025

State Health Updates

  • Arizona – The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) announced the implementation of a newly reorganized leadership team structure. This restructuring is part of AHCCCS Director Carmen Heredia’s ongoing efforts to improve efficiencies and evolve the agency to better serve its members. Key focus areas of the newly updated organizational structure include: strengthening financial oversight; enhancing managed care partnerships; focusing on the Arizona Long-Term Care System; leveraging physician leadership for quality improvement; and building analytical and legal expertise.
  • California – The Department of Health Care Services issued a stakeholder update regarding the recent rescission of previous guidance on health-related social needs (HRSNs), emphasizing that existing approvals, including California’s 1115 waivers supporting community supports, remain unaffected and that California supports Medi-Cal members having access to essential services that address HRSNs.
  • Colorado – Governor Polis, Lieutenant Governor Primavera and the Colorado Department of Higher Education announced that Colorado has made community college free for over 10,000 healthcare professionals through Care Forward Colorado. Care Forward Colorado has awarded over 2,600 Certified Nursing Assistants, 3,500 Emergency Medical Technicians, and 1,100 Medical Assistants. Early employment data shows that over 90% of graduates are now employed in healthcare roles across Colorado, addressing critical workforce gaps in communities.
  • District of Columbia – Wayne Turnage, Director of the Department of Health Care Finance (DHCF), issued a public notice on budget challenges for Medicaid, highlighting that growth patterns in the Medicaid program for fiscal year (FY) 2025 will require over $173 million in additional local funds for FY2026. This budget gap, combined with a decline in forecasted revenues and some measure of a federal fund reduction, would require DHCF to make budget proposals that fundamentally reshape the District’s Medicaid program.
  • Illinois – The Illinois State Senate confirmed the appointment of Morgan Winters as the Director of Get Covered Illinois, the state’s official health insurance Marketplace. Director Winters will lead Illinois’ transition to a State-Based Marketplace for plan year 2026. Congrats Morgan!
  • Michigan 
    • The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is seeking members for the Beneficiary Advisory Council (BAC), a new committee that will allow Michigan Medicaid members to share experiences about services received through Medicaid. As a reminder, SHVS published template materials designed to support state agencies in recruiting members for the BAC. States can customize the content of the materials, which include a recruitment flyer, social media graphics, core messages, website copy, and newsletter copy.
    • MDHHS launched the Michigan Public Health Data Dashboard, providing policymakers with a data-driven snapshot of public health trends in each state House and state Senate district. The publicly accessible dashboard aims to equip lawmakers, local officials, advocacy groups and the public with key health metrics, enabling them to identify challenges, allocate resources effectively and craft policies to improve health outcomes.
  • Montana – Governor Greg Gianforte announced a $700,000 investment to expand peer support services, specifically for families and caregivers of youth with serious emotional disturbance. Family peer support services are provided by those who have lived experience raising a child with behavioral health challenges or special healthcare needs and are equipped to provide emotional support and resources to another family who is raising a child with similar needs. 
  • New Jersey – The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced a $2.5 million grant opportunity through the Cultivating Access, Rights, and Equity (CARE) grant program, which aims to increase awareness and access to worker benefits and protections. In seeking to ensure equitable access to benefits, the CARE grant program is part of the Murphy administration’s mission, through Nurture NJ, to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.
  • New York – Governor Kathy Hochul announced awards to establish five step-down programs to help adults living with co-occurring mental illness and intellectual or developmental disabilities safely transition back into their community. Administered by the State Office of Mental Health, the $85 million in funding over five years will help service providers develop enhanced ‘step-down’ programs that couple critical intervention teams with transitional housing to ensure individuals can live in independent settings once they are discharged from a hospital or other inpatient settings.
  • North Carolina
    • The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released a fact sheet on the impact of Medicaid, highlighting the populations covered by Medicaid, such as rural communities and veterans, and describing how proposed federal changes will hurt North Carolinians. 
    • Governor Josh Stein and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Dev Sangvai hosted a roundtable to highlight the potential damaging impacts of proposed federal Medicaid cuts. Healthcare professionals and Medicaid enrollees discussed the lifesaving impacts of Medicaid and the importance of protecting Medicaid funding from federal cuts.
  • Ohio – The state provided public notice of its intent to submit an application for a section 1115 waiver to provide continuous enrollment for children through the end of the month in which their fourth birthday falls. As a reminder, SHVS published a toolkit for states to leverage 12-month and multi-year continuous enrollment for Medicaid/CHIP-eligible children and youth to promote access to care, ensure delivery of critical preventive and behavioral health services, and monitor child health outcomes in partnership with key stakeholders.
  • Oregon – The Oregon Health Authority announced a new Learning Collaborative Technical Assistance series for HRSN providers and coordinated care organizations, to support the implementation of HRSN benefits.