Recent data from the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey show that 84% of low-income children who qualified for Medicaid in 2021 in Utah were not enrolled. That is the highest rate in the country among the 36 states that have expanded Medicaid. It’s also higher than Wyoming, which is a non-expansion state with more … Read more
Health care advocates in Colorado are lauding the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act for its provisions to lower health care costs for Coloradans. Speaking at a press event after the US Senate passed the legislation last week, the state’s Democratic US Senators Michael Bennetand John Hickenlooper both spoke to the legislation’s impact … Read more
President Biden signed a sweeping $750 billion health care, tax, and climate bill on Tuesday. The move comes after Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act last week through reconciliation, with vote counts of 220-207 in the House and 51-50 in the Senate—an even split along party lines that was decided by Vice President Kamala Harris’s … Read more
Many Washingtonians will face uncertainties regarding health care coverage when the public health emergency (PHE) ends, and state officials are working to address those concerns. Health officials discussed those efforts during a Senate Health & Long Term Care Committee meeting Wednesday. The PHE was extended through Oct. 13th last week. But officials need … Read more
The pediatric health system in Colorado remains in a state of emergency, according to the Children’s Hospital Colorado. The care provider, which declared a youth mental health state of emergency 1 year ago, said in its follow-up last month that conditions have worsened. Record numbers of kids and youth in mental health crises … Read more
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) held a public hearing on the Texas Healthcare Transformation and Quality Improvement Program, its Medicaid managed care program on Thursday, sharing updates with and collecting feedback from the public. The commission sought stakeholder feedback on a State Plan Amendment to House Bill 133, a bill … Read more
The number of ACA marketplace enrollees grew by 550,000, or 42%, to 1.8 million people in 2021. According to recent CMS open enrollment data, Texas has witnessed the fastest growth since 2019 and the largest percentage increase last year in the country. Overall, 94% of enrollees received financial assistance to lower premiums, paying … Read more
In a historic session that saw the passage of the largest state budget on record, Colorado lawmakers adjourned the 73rd General Assembly on May 11th on a productive note. Of the 650 pieces of legislation introduced at the capitol this year, 132 bills were passed by the legislature and acted on by the governor, including … Read more
Florida is one of the states that will be hit hardest next year if increased premium tax credits (PTCs) from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) are not renewed, according to a new report from the Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Without action from the state, millions of Floridians currently enrolled in marketplace health … Read more
The legislature’s recently approved bill that distributes $16 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding appropriates over $400 million in federal funds to support the state’s faltering health care workforce. Senate Bill 8 passed during Texas’s third special session, which ended last week. It now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for signature. … Read more