Behind the Curtain: Enhanced Provider Enrollment Oversight
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), and other Federal and State agencies and...more
With crisis comes uncertainty, and even the best-intentioned regulations can leave those combating the current COVID-19 public-health emergency out in the cold. Many have asked whether the recent Declaration under the...more
In light of findings from the COVID-19 outbreak at a nursing home in Kirkland, Washington, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it will suspend all routine facility inspections and surveys...more
CMS releases a wave of new regulations and guidance for Medicaid and CHIP; Michigan receives CMS approval for a lead abatement initiative; and Utah continues to push for its limited expansion of Medicaid coverage....more
Marylanders can shop for coverage through the Marketplace’s new mobile app; Michigan expansion enrollees report increased access to care and improved health; and survey finds states’ eligibility and enrollment systems...more
The national uninsurance rate hits a record low; Georgia’s Chamber of Commerce outlines three Medicaid expansion proposals; and California legislation targets surprise medical bills. FEDERAL AND STATE MARKETPLACE NEWS: ...more
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has reported that at the close of April, an additional 6 million Americans have enrolled in Medicaid and related health programs for the poor since the launch of coverage...more