The ACA reduced uninsurance among veterans by 40%; Marketplaces showed signs of stabilizing in 2016; and some states are giving insurers more time to make decisions about offering coverage on the Marketplace next year in...more
Vermont moves closer to launching the country’s first all-payer ACO; CMS approves Arizona’s 1115 waiver extension but rejects the State’s proposed work requirement and premiums for those earning below the FPL; and CMS issues...more
CMS denies Ohio’s Medicaid 1115 waiver request citing the State’s premium proposal; HHS will use 2015 risk corridors collections for remaining 2014 payments; and Alabama closes its Medicaid budget shortfall....more
CMS targets Medicaid managed care pass-through payments; California proposes “California Qualified Health Plans” for the undocumented; and a new study finds out-of-pocket costs were reduced by nearly a third for Medicaid...more
CMS’ increase of the “income verification threshold” makes eligibility determinations easier for consumers; Oregon CO-OP policyholders can credit out-of-pocket spending towards new plans; and report finds that 13 million...more
Massachusetts’s Marketplace eliminates cost-sharing for addiction treatment in subsidized QHPs; Montana cuts its uninsurance rate in half; and a Kaiser report identifies the 50 most costly drugs for Medicaid....more
The President voices support for a public option; Vermont selects a Medicaid ACO; and Alabama ends enhanced primary care reimbursements....more
Oklahoma seeks federal approval for premium assistance program targeted to American Indians/Alaska Natives; Louisiana estimates $100 million in net savings from Medicaid expansion; and Vermont becomes the first state to...more
With the election of a new Governor, the future of Kentucky’s Marketplace and Medicaid expansion is uncertain; CMS questions Iowa on its Medicaid managed care transition timeline; and the Supreme Court agrees to hear a case...more
Montana receives approval to expand Medicaid beginning 2016; California’s $6.2 billion Medicaid waiver receives pre-approval; and HHS proposes broadening circumstances under which states receive enhanced federal matching...more
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
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
New study shows Marketplace premiums parallel the employer market; Montana likely to select a private insurer to administer benefits to its Medicaid expansion population; and Washington’s Exchange customers will begin paying...more
CMS permits states to use income information from other means-tested benefit programs for Medicaid eligibility determinations; Alaska’s Medicaid expansion is given the green light to launch today; and Washington State submits...more
In late night action on December 31, 2012, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) was passed by the Senate and finalized days later by Congress and the President with a set of tax and spending policy provisions...more