Aug, 17, 2020

State Health Updates

COVID-19 State Updates

  • Maryland – Governor Larry Hogan was joined by Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Birrane, insurance companies, and the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to announce the reopening of the coronavirus emergency SEP until December 15.
  • New Jersey – Governor Phil Murphy, Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli, and Department of Human Services Commissioner Carole Johnson announced the Administration’s proposal to provide long-term care facilities with $155 million in additional funding as they look to reopen to visitors and resume normal operations.
  • North Carolina – The North Carolina Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Management and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced an expedited reimbursement program that aims to expand non-congregate sheltering options in communities across the state.
  • Pennsylvania – Governor Tom Wolf and Lt. Governor John Fetterman highlighted the recommendations from a report by the COVID-19 Response Task Force for Health Disparity. The report includes six recommendations focused on policy topics related to health disparity, ranked in order of urgency: housing, criminal justice, food insecurity, health disparity, education and economic opportunities.
  • Virginia – Governor Ralph Northam announced that the Virginia Department of Health will conduct a pediatric coronavirus disease serology study in Northern Virginia. The study, completed in collaboration with Inova Health System, will measure the proportion of children and teens with antibodies to COVID-19.
  • Washington – Governor Jay Inslee announced the creation of two funds to help workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Immigrant Relief Fund will provide $40 million to assist Washington residents who are unable to access federal stimulus programs due to their immigration status, and the Food Production Paid Leave Program will provide $3 million of financial resources to certain food production workers who remain home when ill. The governor also issued a proclamation that sets forth the parameters for the Washington COVID-19 Food Production Paid Leave Program. 
  • Arkansas and Rhode Island – Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and Rhode Island Governor Gina M. Raimondo announced that Arkansas and Rhode Island have joined the bipartisan interstate testing compact for rapid point-of-care antigen testing. The compact now includes ten governors.

Other State Updates

  • Alaska – The  Department of Health and Social Services and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is accepting public comments on the draft state health improvement plan, Healthy Alaskans 2030, until September 2, 2020.
  • Nebraska – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services continues to invite community partners and providers to participate in Medicaid expansion webinars aimed to inform the public about Heritage Health Adult/Medicaid Expansion.
  • New York – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced $972,717 has been awarded to five addiction treatment service providers across New York State to enable them to purchase and operate mobile treatment vehicles.
  • Oklahoma
    • The Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHA) formally withdrew its SoonerCare 1115(a) HAO research and demonstration waiver application request to CMS.
    • OHA is pursuing a model to carve out dental managed care services as the agency transitions to a managed care delivery service for Oklahoma Medicaid. The new dental managed care model will take effect in 2021.
  • Pennsylvania – Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman released the 2021 requested rate filings for health insurance plan and highlighted that the average rate requests would result in an average 2.6 percent decrease in premiums in the individual market.