Mar, 18, 2022

State Health Updates

  • Arizona – The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) put out a press release highlighting that Medicaid and KidsCare disenrollments will begin again, following the end of the continuous coverage requirement. AHCCCS estimates that approximately 500,000 currently enrolled adults and children will need to complete a renewal to determine continued eligibility and is encouraging AHCCCS members to prepare for eligibility renewal.
  • Arkansas – The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that Medicaid clients across the state can expect a phone call from DHS regarding updating their contact information to ensure they receive renewal letters in the coming months. DHS has set up a new call center that will reach out to clients to help them quickly and easily update their mailing address, phone number, and email address on file.
  • Colorado – Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s official health insurance marketplace, issued a request for applications from new and returning organizations, as well as licensed brokers, to operate assistance sites and enrollment centers across the state. Applications are due by April 25. 
  • Delaware – The Division of Public Health’s Office of Health Crisis Response has initiated a Restaurant Accolade Program to train and educate restaurant industry staff on how to reverse an opioid overdose and support coworkers with substance use disorder. The creation of the program was informed by the results of Delaware’s first Drug Overdose Mortality Surveillance Report published in August 2019, which found that 10 percent of Delawareans who died of a drug overdose in 2017 were employed in the food services industry.
  • Minnesota – The Minnesota Department of Human Services announced the launch of a newly developed service, the Children’s Mental Health Residential Services Plan. The new service was designed to assist youth with a severe emotional disturbance and their families in gaining access to a residential treatment center.
  • Montana – Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) Director Adam Meier announced the establishment of a new office to strengthen partnerships with faith and community organizations. The office will serve as a conduit between DPHHS and faith and community organizations across the state, creating a two-way flow of information, resources and programs to serve the identified health and wellness needs in each community.
  • Nebraska – The Nebraska Department of Education and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health announced a collaboration with three local education agencies to improve school-based mental health services. Through the implementation of evidence-based, trauma-informed practices in mental health screening, assessment, interventions, and treatment, up to 5,227 students will be served through the project each year.
  • New York – Governor Kathy Hochul announced the availability of up to $1 million in funding for Opioid Treatment Program providers to establish additional locations outside of their current facilities. This initiative is designed to help bring these services to currently underserved locations, and to address the growing need for treatment services across New York.
  • Oregon
    • Governor Kate Brown signed HB 4035 which directs resources towards creating an orderly transition for the estimated 300,000 Oregonians who may no longer qualify for Medicaid following the end of the continuous coverage requirement. HB 4035 sets up a process for the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) to potentially create a ‘bridge health plan’ which could be offered to low-income Oregonians who do not qualify for Medicaid because they earn slightly too much.
    • OHA launched a pandemic recovery plan known as RISE: Resilience in Support of Equity. The plan outlines near-term priorities Oregon will pursue to monitor COVID-19 and shield people at highest risk. The strategy aims to ensure equity at the heart of the state’s response, including collaborating with communities to apply an equity framework to policy and operational decisions.
  • Pennsylvania – Pennie, the state’s official health insurance marketplace, announced a new program created this tax season to connect uninsured Pennsylvanians with health coverage. Uninsured Pennsylvanians will be able to indicate they are without health insurance through a new optional tax form called, REV-1882 ‘Health Insurance Coverage Information Request.’ Those who fill out form REV-1882 will receive an official postal notice from Pennie with instructions on how to enroll in coverage beginning in April 2022.  
  • Washington – The Health Care Authority (HCA) announced plans to submit a renewal for Washington State’s Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver, the Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP). HCA will submit the MTP renewal package to CMS on July 15, 2022. There will be several new strategies in the renewal that contribute to ensuring whole-person care: continuous Medicaid enrollment for children; extending coverage for postpartum services; re-entry services for individuals who are exiting jail, prison, or other correctional facilities; and enhancements to long-term services and supports.