On August 29, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Center for Medicaid & Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Services (CMCS) Informational Bulletin (CIB) and an accompanying slide deck to...more
This is an excerpt from a recent Manatt article published on State Health & Value Strategies. Click here to download insight.
On July 23, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a State Health...more
7/30/2024
/ Case Management ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Incarcerated Beneficiaries ,
Medicaid ,
Minor Children ,
Patient Access
On Monday, April 22, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two highly anticipated final rules. Together, these rules reshape the federal regulatory landscape for Medicaid and the Children’s Health...more
The transgender, or trans, community experiences stark health disparities resulting from discrimination, violence, stigma and a lack of culturally competent providers. Compared with the general U.S. population, trans...more
1/4/2024
/ Disparate Impact ,
Disparate Treatment ,
Gender Discrimination ,
Gender Equity ,
Gender Expression ,
Gender Identity ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
LGBTQ ,
Medicaid ,
Mental Health ,
Patient Access ,
Transgender
OVERVIEW -
This report proposes a vision and plan for action—collectively a statewide Health Equity Action Plan—for achieving a racially and ethnically equitable health care delivery system in Massachusetts. The report is...more
1/2/2024
/ Blue Cross ,
Blue Shield ,
Disparate Impact ,
Disparate Treatment ,
Diversity and Inclusion Standards (D&I) ,
Equity Claims ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Patient Access ,
Race Discrimination ,
Racial Bias ,
Regulatory Agenda
Introduction -
Many states are actively working to make changes to their systems to enable ex parte renewals at the individual level and implement mitigation strategies to ensure eligible Medicaid and Children’s Health...more
Editor’s Note: In a recent "State Spotlight" for The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, reprinted below, Manatt Health discusses the investments and efforts that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is making to promote health...more
From the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) to the overturning of Roe v. Wade to the skyrocketing growth of virtual care, multiple forces are converging to remap the health care landscape. In a new webinar,...more
9/15/2023
/ Abortion ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Continuous Coverage ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Medicaid ,
Mental Health Parity Rule ,
No Surprises Act (NSA) ,
Non-Discrimination Rules ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) ,
Preventive Health Care ,
Provider Payments ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Reproductive Healthcare Issues ,
Roe v Wade ,
Shield Laws ,
Webinars
Five months into the unwinding of the federal Medicaid continuous coverage requirement, states continue to work through an unprecedented volume of eligibility and enrollment actions, while also contending with growing...more
On June 30, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Washington’s five-year Section 1115 demonstration renewal, the Medicaid Transformation Project 2.0 (MTP 2.0 or Demonstration). Through its renewed...more
Editor’s Note: Section 1115 Medicaid demonstrations enable states to develop innovative programs for improving the health and well-being of Medicaid enrollees. Long-standing federal policy requires that 1115 waivers be...more
The behavioral health workforce in Massachusetts is in crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the prevalence of behavioral health issues and demand for services, exposing and aggravating the vulnerabilities of...more
Editor’s Note: In a new expert perspective prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health and Value Strategies program, reproduced below, Manatt Health outlines the time-limited targeted enrollment...more
6/21/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Continuous Coverage ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Enrollment ,
Essential Health Benefits ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medicaid ,
New Guidance ,
Patient Access ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Waivers
Editor’s Note: In a new expert perspective prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health and Value Strategies program, Manatt Health provides a table that states can use to examine current ex parte processes...more
Editor’s Note: The current Medicaid continuous coverage requirements enacted by the Families First Coronavirus Act (FFCRA) prohibit states from disenrolling individuals from Medicaid for the duration of the public health...more
6/10/2022
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Continuous Coverage ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Enrollment ,
Essential Health Benefits ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Health Insurance ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Medicaid ,
New Guidance ,
Public Health Emergency
INTRODUCTION -
Like all states, Massachusetts received enhanced federal Medicaid funding under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), the first major federal stimulus package passed by Congress in response to...more
Longstanding structural racism and related health inequities experienced by people of color further laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic have mobilized leadership in many states to take action on health equity. Structural...more
2/18/2022
/ 1115 Waivers ,
Disparate Impact ,
Disparate Treatment ,
Equity Claims ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Managed Care Contracts ,
Medicaid ,
Patient Access ,
Racial Bias
Longstanding structural racism and related health inequities experienced by people of color further laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic have mobilized leadership in many states to take action on health equity. Structural...more
Editor’s Note: In a new primer developed for the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, Manatt Health creates a foundational resource to broaden the collective understanding of racial and ethnic health inequities...more
1/12/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Disparate Impact ,
Disparate Treatment ,
Equal Access ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Patient Access ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Race Discrimination ,
Racial Bias
Access to affordable health coverage and healthcare is critical for pregnant individuals and translates to better outcomes for their children. Immigrants who are subject to Medicaid’s five-year bar or who are undocumented are...more
The COVID-19 pandemic laid bare long-standing racial and ethnic health inequities and disparities across America, including in Massachusetts. Black and Hispanic people in Massachusetts have been disproportionately impacted by...more
I. Introduction -
Since 2014, states have had the option to expand Medicaid eligibility to most adults with incomes under 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL; approximately $30,300 in annual earnings for a family...more
Editor’s Note: In a new issue brief prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s State Health and Value Strategies program, Manatt Health reviews state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agency…...more
Following the expiration of the Public Health Emergency (PHE), states will resume normal eligibility and enrollment activities for all enrollees in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The volume of...more
10/28/2021
/ Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Management ,
Data Transfers ,
Eligibility Determination ,
Health Insurance ,
Information Technology ,
Medicaid ,
Online Platforms ,
Open Enrollment ,
Public Health Emergency
Editor’s Note: At the end of the public health emergency (PHE), people currently enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are at risk of losing their coverage unless state Medicaid/CHIP agencies...more
10/27/2021
/ Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Management ,
Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Information Technology ,
Managed Care Contracts ,
Medicaid ,
Open Enrollment ,
Patient Access ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Relief Measures