In late June, Hawaii’s Med-QUEST Healthcare Advisory Committee met to discuss Medicaid redeterminations and the 1115 waiver renewal. Med-QUEST is the state’s Medicaid agency, which launched the Stay Well Stay Covered Campaign prior to the start of redeterminations. Meredith Nichols, assistant administrator and deputy director of the state’s Med-QUEST division, said that while redeterminations are … Read more
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently approved Washington’s request to extend and amend its Section 1115 Medicaid Transformation Project waiver. The extension will allow Washington to implement new policies and use federal Medicaid funds to improve Apple Health, the state’s Medicaid program. The waiver ended on June 30th, and the … Read more
The Michigan Legislature recently passed the state’s 2023-2024 budget, which designates hundreds of millions of dollars to improve public health. The $82 billion budget is the largest in the state’s history and is expected to be signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Michigan Association of Local Public Health Executive Director Norm Hess said in … Read more
The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) automatically renewed 67 percent of Medicaid beneficiaries last month, with the regular renewal process having begun in April. Medicaid eligibility renewals are taking place throughout every state in the country, and Arizona expects to redetermine the eligibility of about 2.5 million individuals until March of 2024. During … Read more
Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) Director Theresa Eagleson discussed the state’s Medicaid redetermination process at the 2023 Illinois State of Reform Health Policy Conference. Eagleson said redeterminations are the biggest challenge for HFS coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, as many customers haven’t had to renew their coverage for three years. HFS … Read more
Illinois Deputy Gov. Sol Flores discussed the state’s 1115 Healthcare Transformation Waiver at the 2023 Illinois State of Reform Health Policy Conference. The state applied for an extension of the waiver in May, looking to take advantage of new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services policy flexibilities to address health-related social needs through Medicaid. The … Read more
A panel of long-term care experts led a discussion on the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic at the 2023 Illinois State of Reform Health Policy Conference earlier this month. Last year, the Biden administration issued guidance on federal regulatory requirements for nursing homes that addressed resident health and safety. The initiatives establish … Read more
Earlier this year, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) wrote to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting an amendment to the state’s Medicaid 1115 Research and Demonstration Waiver. AHCCCS seeks to waive eligibility conditions and automatically renew Medicaid coverage for individuals who were in the state’s foster care system as … Read more
Last September, Texas Sen. Nathan Johnson (D- Dallas) and Rep. Julie Johnson (D – Dallas) took part in the 2022 North Texas State of Reform Health Policy Conference, where they expressed optimism about their plans to reintroduce Medicaid expansion ahead of this year’s legislative session. The state’s regular session ended on May 29th … Read more
Helping patients use transparency tools and understand their healthcare expenses could help lower costs throughout the industry, according to experts who discussed the topic at the 2023 Michigan State of Reform Health Policy Conference. Brian McLane, senior director of customer experience and consumer insights at Priority Health Plan, noted that 40% of Americans … Read more