Jun, 23, 2020

State Health Updates: June 19

COVID-19 State Updates

  • Georgia – Governor Brian P. Kemp announced the Georgia Department of Community Health has reported that 100 percent of nursing home residents in facilities with 25 or more beds have now been tested for COVID-19. Across all long-term care facilities with 25 beds or more, 77 percent of residents and 57 percent of staff members have now been tested.
  • Maryland – The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange announced that it has extended the deadline of its Coronavirus Emergency Special Enrollment Period so that uninsured residents will have until July 15 to enroll in health coverage through Maryland Health Connection, the state’s official health insurance marketplace.
  • Oregon – Governor Kate Brown announced the release of a new framework, developed by the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for state agencies to use to center equity and racial justice in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The framework will also be used more long-term to make equitable decisions about state resources going forward.
  • Pennsylvania
    • The Department of Human Services announced a request for applications for its new Regional Response Health Collaboration Program (RRHCP). The RRHCP is designed to directly support COVID-19 readiness and response in long-term residential care facilities, improve infection prevention, and facilitate continuity of care and other services provided by long-term care facilities in a manner that mitigates risk of spread of COVID-19 to staff or residents.
    • Governor Tom Wolf announced that people with intellectual disabilities and autism and the providers of support services for these individuals will receive $260 million in CARES Act funding to help continue to provide services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Wisconsin — The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is partnering with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and other state agencies to conduct two population health studies that will examine the presence of COVID-19 in Wisconsin. These studies will provide researchers and public health experts with a better understanding of COVID-19 infections to date in the state and help identify communities that may be at risk for future outbreaks.

Other State Updates

  • California – Members of Governor Gavin Newsom’s Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery issued an open letter calling out the insidious effects of structural racism across society, including the economy, and urging business and civic leaders to take a stand against injustice. In the letter the Task Force urged business and civic leaders in California to commit to a series of actions.
  • Colorado – The state legislature passed a bill (SB20-215) that would establish a health insurance affordability fee assessed on certain health insurers and a special assessment on hospitals to fund measures to reduce consumer costs for individual health coverage plans.
  • Kentucky – Governor Andy Beshear announced his intention to move the commonwealth back to the Kynect state health care exchange and that he had submitted a declaration of intent letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to transition to a state-based exchange beginning January 1, 2022.
  • Oregon – Oregon submitted a new five year 1115 demonstration request, Oregon Health Plan Substance Use Disorder (SUD) 1115 Demonstration, to transform its SUD delivery system through the use of evidence-based practices, Tribal-Based Practices, and a focus on providing a comprehensive and full continuum of care. The federal comment period is open through July 18, 2020.
  • West Virginia — The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources has provided funding to expand Quick Response Teams (QRTs) in four counties to reduce the number of fatal and nonfatal overdoses. QRTs assist individuals who have experienced an overdose with recovery support, social service referrals, and links to treatment options through multi-disciplinary teams.