2023
-
The ACA’s Preventive Services Benefit Is in Jeopardy: What Can States Do to Preserve Access?
By Justin Giovannelli, Sabrina Corlette, and Madeline O’Brien, Georgetown University Center on Health Insurance Reforms A federal judge is poised to gut one of the most popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA requires that most private health plans cover preventive services, such as certain cancer screenings and immunizations, without imposing cost sharing on…
-
Hundreds of Thousands of Children Could Lose Coverage in Florida Alone as U.S. Approaches High Stakes Medicaid Unwinding
As readers of SayAhhh! know, Congress has given the green light to states to begin checking eligibility for all Medicaid beneficiaries who have been protected from disenrollment by federal law since the Families First Covid Relief Act passed in March 2020. Terminations can begin on April 1, 2023; states have a year to complete the…
-
Mothers’ Mental Health Challenges Predated COVID-19, Medicaid Policy and Other Solutions Needed, Report Finds
American families with children faced significant challenges during the pandemic due to school closures, lost jobs and isolation, and mothers reported higher rates of anxiety than fathers as they took on more caregiving responsibilities or even left their paid jobs. A full 50 percent of women ages 18 to 64 reported needing mental health services…
-
New Data Underscores Need to Catch up on Routine Childhood Vaccinations
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated data on vaccination coverage among kindergartners, showing a continued decline in the share of children with the recommended doses of routine childhood vaccines needed to prevent the spread of harmful diseases. The report includes data on vaccination rates by state for four vaccines: measles, mumps,…
-
-
Webinar Series: Unwinding the COVID-19 Medicaid Continuous Eligibility Provision
When the COVID-19 public health emergency ends, state Medicaid agencies face the daunting task of resuming normal eligibility and enrollment operations. It’s imperative that community partners and other stakeholders focus on this unprecedented challenge to help ensure that eligible children and families do not lose Medicaid coverage during the unwinding. The Center on Budget and…
-
Unwinding Wednesday #17: It’s Imperative for States to Use the 2023 Federal Poverty Levels During the Unwinding
The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) has released the 2023 federal poverty levels (FPL). As expected, there was a notable increase in the poverty threshold stemming from inflation that will help families keep pace with rising costs. On average, the FPLs rose by about 8 percent, ranging from 7.3…
-
Funding for Community Health Workers Authorized in Consolidated Appropriations Act – How could this help children and families?
We’ve written about several of the exciting health provisions in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 that was signed into law in December here on Say Ahhh!: to recap, Joan Alker wrote about the permanent mandatory 12-month continuous eligibility requirement and other important provisions, Tricia Brooks detailed the new guardrails and transparency requirements as states…
-
Implementing Changes to Medicaid Coverage for Former Foster Youth Could Be a Long, Bumpy Path but States Have Easier Option Available
One of the most popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – allowing young adults to stay on their parent’s health plan until age 26 – would neglect a vulnerable group were it not for another ACA provision extending Medicaid to former foster youth (FFY). Unlike other young adults, youth transitioning out of foster…
-
Unwinding Wednesday #16: Are State Eligibility Systems Ready for the Unwinding?
As we approach the starting line for unwinding the Medicaid continuous coverage protection on March 31, 2023, states are busy finalizing their unwinding plans and making sure their systems are ready to go. Medicaid IT systems are complex, and yet they are at the heart of eligibility and enrollment. Done well, systems can greatly streamline…
-
-
CMS Releases Key Information on Unwinding the Medicaid Continuous Coverage Requirement
CMCS has released a timely informational bulletin (CIB) with details about the implementation of the unwinding provisions enacted by Congress just before the end of the year. As previously described in this blog, the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) ends the Medicaid continuous coverage protection as of March 31, 2023. While the CAA does not…
-
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023: Medicaid and CHIP Provisions Explained
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (P.L. 117-328).[1] The Consolidated Appropriations Act includes a number of provisions related to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This includes, among others, delinking the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement from the COVID-19 public health emergency and starting its unwinding…
-
Are You Leveraging Your Medical Care Advisory Committee?
Medical Care Advisory Committees are powerful tools—available in every state—for advancing effective health policies on behalf of children and families. Anyone working on state Medicaid policies needs to know about MCACs! What is an MCAC? Medical Care Advisory Committees, known as “MCACs”, are advisory bodies that provide state Medicaid agencies with formal feedback and recommendations…
-
Permanent Medicaid Postpartum Coverage Option, Maternal Health Infrastructure Investments in 2022 Year-End Omnibus Bill
Congress made several improvements to maternal health policy in the year-end Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, signed by President Biden on December 29, which both solidify eligibility for extended Medicaid postpartum coverage and bolster the health system’s capacity to serve new mothers. These policy changes come alongside other Medicaid and CHIP provisions in the Omnibus…
