Oklahoma proposes Medicaid coverage for 175,000 currently uninsured; a report finds State-based Marketplaces boost Medicaid enrollment growth rates; and CMS issues a final rule on mental health parity in Medicaid and CHIP....more
4/6/2016
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Employer Mandates ,
Enrollment ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Mental Health ,
SCOTUS ,
State Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Zubik v Burwell
Virginia submits a $1 billion DSRIP application; Michigan's Governor will request authority to extend Medicaid coverage to Flint residents aged 21 and under; and Hawaii reinstates small business tax credits in its updated...more
Minnesota's Task Force recommends maintaining their State-based Marketplace while Oregon considers bringing back theirs; CMS narrows the criteria for special enrollment periods; and President Obama seeks an extension of full...more
A flurry of support for Medicaid expansion this week…with Virginia hospitals backing a provider assessment, Wyoming's Governor putting forth a budget initiative, and Arkansas announcing plans to extend its waiver. Meanwhile,...more
12/10/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Comment Period ,
Conflicts of Interest ,
Enrollment ,
Governor Pence ,
Healthcare Costs ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
State Budgets ,
Waivers
HHS announces average premium price increases of 7.5% across HealthCare.gov; Michigan and Illinois launch the country’s first joint cloud-based, real-time Medicaid information management system; and the Marketplace carrier...more
10/28/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Eligibility ,
Enrollment ,
GAO ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare.gov ,
Insurance Industry ,
Medicaid ,
Premiums ,
Prescription Drugs ,
Public Health Insurance Marketplace ,
Tax Credits ,
Waivers
Editor’s note: Born as an afterthought to Medicare five decades ago, Medicaid has evolved from an adjunct to state welfare programs into the nation’s largest health insurer. Medicaid’s 50th birthday is a fitting time to...more
10/27/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Eligibility ,
Enrollment ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Information Technologies ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Costs ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Medicaid Reform ,
Public Health Insurance Marketplace ,
State Medicaid Programs ,
Tax Credits ,
Value-Based Purchasing ,
Waivers
Arizona seeks Medicaid Waiver to implement new coverage restrictions for Medicaid expansion enrollees and delivery system reform; Tennessee’s uninsured rate continues to drop; and Louisiana gubernatorial candidates line up...more
10/21/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Co-Op ,
Co-payments ,
Cost-Sharing ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
DSRIP ,
Enrollment ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Medicaid Reform ,
OIG ,
Public Health Insurance Marketplace ,
Qualified Health Plans ,
State Health Insurance Exchanges ,
Tax Credits ,
Waivers
Congress passes a bill to give states greater flexibility in defining “small businesses”; South Dakota seeks to offset Medicaid expansion costs in part with increased use of the fully federally-funded Indian Health Service;...more
10/7/2015
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Co-Op ,
DSRIP ,
Enrollment ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Healthcare.gov ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Medicaid Reform ,
Pending Legislation ,
Public Health Insurance Marketplace ,
Qualified Health Plans ,
Small Employers ,
Waivers
Born as an afterthought to Medicare five decades ago, Medicaid has evolved from an adjunct to state welfare programs to the nation’s largest health insurer. The occasion of Medicaid’s 50th birthday is a fitting time to...more
9/30/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Eligibility ,
Enrollment ,
Health Insurance ,
Information Technology ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Medicaid Reform ,
Public Health Insurance Marketplace ,
State Medicaid Programs ,
Waivers
Ohio’s Medicaid expenditures came in $2 billion below estimates despite enrollment growth after Medicaid expansion; California extends full Medicaid benefits to more pregnant women; and nearly one million have enrolled in...more
CMS offers a special enrollment period for HealthCare.gov enrollees whose incomes were miscalculated due to system error; California Marketplace announces two new insurers; and Connecticut’s budget reduces eligibility levels...more
7/29/2015
/ CCIIO ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
DSRIP ,
Enrollment ,
Fast Track Process ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Healthcare.gov ,
IRS ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Public Health Insurance Marketplace ,
State Budgets ,
Tax Credits ,
Waivers
In quick succession, governors in Alaska and Utah announce Medicaid expansions this week; Iowa is transitioning its expansion away from the Marketplace to Medicaid managed care, for now; and, HHS extends its exception to...more
7/22/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Burwell v Hobby Lobby ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Contraceptive Coverage Mandate ,
Cost Allocation ,
Department of Agriculture ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Eligibility ,
Employer Mandates ,
Enrollment ,
GAO ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare.gov ,
Hospitals ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Medicare ,
OMB ,
Physicians ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Health Insurance Marketplace ,
Qualified Health Plans ,
SCOTUS ,
Tribal Governments
King v. Burwell speculation has been rampant since the Supreme Court heard oral testimony on Wednesday. All eyes are on Justices Kennedy and Roberts, who are likely to wield the deciding votes. In other news, CMS approved a...more
3/11/2015
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Enrollment ,
Health Insurance Exchanges ,
King v Burwell ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
Pregnancy ,
SCOTUS ,
State Budgets ,
Subsidies ,
Tax Incentives
HHS ramps up for the final week of open enrollment. Families buying into CHIP in Pennsylvania are granted tax relief, and though Medicaid expansion efforts seem to have hit a wall in Tennessee and Wyoming, Arkansas assures...more
The President’s budget reveals the healthcare agenda for his Administration’s penultimate year. Medicaid expansion proposals advance in Arkansas and Wyoming; California’s Marketplace reports 9 out of every 10 enrollees remain...more
This week, leadership changes at CMS continue, Montana’s Governor introduces Medicaid expansion legislation, and the California Marketplace allows new health plan entrants into the individual and SHOP Marketplaces for the...more
This week’s highlights include movement in states’ Marketplace and Medicaid leadership positions; Idaho takes a hard look at Medicaid expansion, and federal officials help Marketplace enrollees prepare for the 2014 tax...more
Enrollment and coverage expansion tops the new this week. Federal officials announced 6.5 million people have enrolled through the Federally-facilitated Marketplace and released the first in a monthly series of detailed...more
Enrollment numbers and Medicaid reform top the news this week. Federal officials report 1.4 million consumers have selected plans on healthcare.gov. And in the states, Michigan and New Hampshire announce Medicaid expansion...more
This week, a federal Issuer Bulletin describes how issuers in the Federally Facilitated Marketplace will identify their existing enrollees who are switching plans for 2015 coverage. The Exchange Board in New Mexico proposes a...more
12/4/2014
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Enrollment ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Exchanges ,
IRS ,
Marketplace Notice ,
Medicaid ,
Medicaid Expansion ,
SHOP Program ,
Subsidies
In this week’s highlights, new proposed guidance from the feds would allow default renewals to lower cost plans and bring enhanced transparency to Qualified Health Plan rate increases; open Enrollment hits its stride –...more