Apr, 04, 2025

State Health Updates

  • Colorado – Kevin Patterson, CEO of Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s official health insurance Marketplace, and Michael Conway, Colorado Insurance Commissioner, celebrated 15 years of the ACA by co-authoring an opinion column. The column includes stories from Coloradans who have benefitted from the ACA and discusses the importance of Congressional action to extend the enhanced premium tax credits which make coverage more affordable.
  • Idaho – Idaho submitted an application requesting to extend the Idaho Behavioral Health Transformation section 1115 demonstration for five years. The state is requesting to extend residential and inpatient treatment for individuals with a substance use disorder and/or serious mental illness and to add a new expenditure authority for the Youth Empowerment Services Group—a home and community-based services section 1915(i) group.
  • Kentucky – Governor Andy Beshear wrote a letter informing state lawmakers that he will not be able to implement several bills passed into law in the 2025 session without any accompanying appropriations, including a bill mandating the creation of a work requirement to be eligible for Medicaid.
  • Massachusetts – The Healey-Driscoll Administration is distributing an additional $75.8 million in student loan repayment awards as part of the MA Repay Program. Funding is going to more than 1,700 behavioral health and primary care providers throughout the state, including primary care physicians, family nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, social workers, inpatient mental health workers, substance-use disorder treatment professionals, behavioral health providers working in justice involved settings, and school based mental health providers.
  • Minnesota – MNSure, the state’s official health insurance Marketplace, released their 2024 Annual Report. MNsure had over 419,000 sign-ups across all types of coverage, including private health plans, dental plans, MinnesotaCare and Medical Assistance; more than six in 10 enrolled households received tax credits, and saved over $500 per month, on average; and Minnesotans received over $328 million in savings in 2024. 
  • New Jersey – Governor Phil Murphy hosted a roundtable discussion with Medicaid recipients whose lives would be negatively impacted by potential federal funding cuts to Medicaid. NJ FamilyCare provides comprehensive healthcare coverage to 1.8 million New Jerseyans, including children, working families, older adults, and individuals with disabilities. The roundtable discussion provided an opportunity to hear directly from those who would be most impacted by Medicaid cuts being discussed at the federal level. As a reminder, the New Jersey Department of Human Services has modeled the impact NJ Medicaid of Congressional budget proposals, and SHVS is tracking the states that are publicly reporting their estimates of the impact of proposed cuts.
  • New York 
    • Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris announced that the New York State Department of Financial Services has adopted a new regulation that requires health insurers to request voluntarily disclosed demographic data, such as race, ethnicity, preferred language, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Under the new rule, people who are insured will have the option to provide this information through a separate questionnaire, administered apart from the application or renewal process. The Department will use this data to identify and address any systemic disparities in benefit use.
    • Governor Kathy Hochul signed three laws to strengthen New York’s gun violence prevention efforts. Governor Hochul also unveiled new data showing a 53% decline in gun violence year-to-date, when compared to pandemic-era highs.
  • North Carolina – Governor Josh Stein and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai joined rural health providers and community leaders for a roundtable discussion on how access to healthcare coverage through NC Medicaid is a lifeline for rural communities. With Congress considering cuts to the program, leaders noted rural communities would be particularly hard hit.
  • Rhode Island – HealthSource RI (HSRI), the state’s official health insurance Marketplace, announced it concluded its annual open enrollment period on February 28, with its highest ever open enrollment total of 42,695. The open enrollment period was extended by one month this year to provide access to customers after a cybersecurity incident in December. HSRI highlighted the importance of the enhanced premium tax credits to improve affordability, which are set to expire in December without federal action.