Jul, 22, 2022

State Health Updates

  • California
    • The Department of Health Care Services released a request for information (RFI) seeking an experienced communications/advertising vendor to implement a broad and targeted education and outreach communications campaign for Medi-Cal (Medicaid) enrollees during and after the end of the COVID-19 PHE. Responses to the RFI are due by August 19, 2022.
    • Covered California, the state’s official health insurance marketplace, announced its plans and rates for the 2023 coverage year. The preliminary weighted average rate change is an increase of six percent, due in part to the potential end of the financial help offered to eligible consumers through the American Rescue Plan, if Congress does not extend the law before it expires at the end of the year.
  • Georgia – The Georgia Department of Community Health announced CMS renewed its Section 1915(c) Comprehensive Supports Waiver for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities for five years effective April 1, 2021. The waiver provides home and community-based services (HCBS), including community living support, adult dental, adult occupational and physical therapy, adult speech and language therapy, and nursing services. 
  • Maine – Governor Janet Mills announced that CMS has approved Maine’s application for its Section 1332 waiver for a reinsurance program, which will improve health insurance for small businesses by implementing innovations to help increase coverage and hold down premium increases.
  • Massachusetts – The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services released a request for responses for the state’s Behavioral Health (BH) and Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Community Partners program. Under the program, Medicaid accountable care organizations and Medicaid managed care plans will be required to contract with community partners selected by the state for care coordination for enrollees that have predominant BH and/or LTSS needs.
  • Michigan – The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced that medical providers of behavioral health services in under-resourced areas in Michigan are now eligible for medical education loan repayment through the MI Kids Now Loan Repayment Program. The program is open to providers of services to both children and adults, but the priority will be providing debt relief to those who serve children.
  • Montana – The Department of Public Health and Human Services announced that Medicaid-eligible youth with autism, serious emotional disturbance, or those eligible for the agency’s developmental disabilities program now have access to Applied Behavioral Analysis services—a type of therapy that can improve social, communication, and learning skills through positive reinforcement.
  • Nebraska – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced two incentive programs providing up to $200,000 in student loan repayment for qualified medical care providers who agree to work in rural and under-resourced communities in state or federally designated shortage areas.
  • Oregon – The Oregon Health Authority released a report on increasing healthcare costs, which grew 49 percent per person across insurance markets between 2013 to 2019 in Oregon, outpacing national healthcare cost growth during the same time period. By market, Medicare costs per person grew 58 percent, commercial market costs per person grew 45 percent, and Medicaid costs per person grew the slowest at 32 percent.
  • Tennessee – TennCare announced that it will submit another amendment to its TennCare III Medicaid waiver, addressing changes requested by CMS. CMS asked TennCare to submit a new budget based on a traditional per member per month cap, remove the waiver’s closed formulary for pharmaceuticals, and modify its Medicaid terms and conditions to ensure benefits and coverage will not be cut. Tennessee is accepting public comments on the amendment through August 19. 
  • Washington – The Washington Health Care Authority and Department of Social and Health Services submitted a waiver renewal application for the Medicaid Transformation Project (MTP), the state’s Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waiver. The waiver seeks to continue the current MTP programs and implement additional program expansions in long-term services and supports; foundational community supports; substance use disorder institution for mental diseases (IMD); and mental health IMD. The waiver also seeks approval for several new programs, including continuous Apple Health (Medicaid) enrollment for children through their sixth birthday and Apple Health postpartum coverage extension to twelve months.