Medicaid
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Community-Based Assistance Programs Support Applicants Where They Live and are a Gold Standard for Outreach
In this final installment of our series on Medicaid and CHIP outreach, we look at community-based assistance programs and resources in each state. Personalized assistance is critical to helping individuals and families find and access support to navigate confusing processes. CCF’s state outreach snapshot found state-supported outreach assistance programs in 30 states. Most, states with…
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GAO Releases Report on Federal Oversight and the Unwinding
There are many lessons to be learned from the unwinding, but among the top items on the list is the discovery that many states are not following federal renewal regulations that have been in place for more than a decade. Noting that, the Government Accountability Office (GOA) has released a report entitled: “Medicaid: Federal Oversight…
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This Year’s House Republican Budget Resolution Also Includes Severe Medicaid Cuts
While Medicaid continues to fly beneath the radar as an election issue, it is increasingly clear that the results of this fall’s federal elections will determine whether Medicaid will be at serious threat of deep and damaging cuts next year. I have previously written about the severe Medicaid cuts proposed in the Project 2025 blueprint…
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Medicaid Drug Rebate Program News and Notes, 2024 Edition
Periodically I write up news on the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program (MDRP) and here’s another (albeit overdue) edition highlighting some recent MDRP policy developments: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will not finalize its proposal to require manufacturers to “stack” discounts when determining best price under the MDRP. The best price requirement, which…
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Loper Bright Decision Will Collapse on Itself, Policy Evidence is More Important than Ever Before in Driving Progress
We blogged recently about the Supreme Court’s historic power grab in the Loper Bright case, which turned agency law on its head by overturning the Chevron case, the cornerstone of modern agency law. In Loper Bright, the Supreme Court’s clear intention is to weaken federal agencies, which is readily apparent in the decision itself and,…
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Tennessee to Begin Providing Diapers for Children Under Age 2 in Medicaid
Following CMS approval of its 1115 demonstration amendment earlier this year, Tennessee is set to begin covering diapers as a Medicaid benefit on August 7th. All children under age two enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP (known as TennCare and CoverKids, respectively) will be eligible to receive up to 100 diapers per month as a covered…
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What to expect from Census data this fall on Child/Adult Coverage Levels?
As readers of SayAhhh! know, Georgetown CCF does an annual report on children’s coverage every fall using the most recent data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), which is typically released in September. This year, the 2023 data will be released on September 12th; the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social…
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Transparency in Medicaid Managed Care: CMS Posts the MCPARs
There’s been a startling—but VERY welcome—development in the long-running MCPAR saga. On July 15, CMCS posted on its medicaid.gov the first three tranches of Managed Care Program Annual Reports (MCPARs) submitted by state Medicaid agencies for performance year 2023. The agency promises to post the remaining tranche for performance year 2023 in October, with quarterly…
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Another Sign That Trump 2 Will Target Medicaid for Deep, Damaging Cuts
What would a second Trump Administration have in store for Medicaid? The Project 2025 blueprint includes truly draconian cuts just like the House Republican Study Committee budget plan does. Now, a new report from the Paragon Institute provides yet another sign that Medicaid will be targeted – it recommends deep and damaging cuts in federal…
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States Revised Data Show Mixed Outcomes for Pending Renewals but Disenrollment for Procedural Reasons Still High
We have previously called attention to the large share of pending renewals in many states, which can be an indication that a state is not able to keep up with the workload. However, some states specifically chose to extend renewal due dates out an extra month or two to conduct more targeted outreach; those renewals…
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Medicaid and CHIP Outreach Snapshot Blog Series
Earlier this year, CCF published a snapshot of state Medicaid and CHIP outreach activities. The report provides an analysis of state-provided outreach resources and enrollment assistance. This blog series highlights good examples of state outreach and enrollment efforts and identifies areas that need improvement. Read the snapshot report Read the introductory blog Read the blog on social media…
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How States Can Use Tax and Unemployment Filings to Sign People Up for Health Insurance
This spring, as millions of people prepared their taxes, an increasing number of states were using the tax-filing process to connect those who are eligible but uninsured with comprehensive, affordable health insurance. These “easy-enrollment programs” allow filers to check a box on forms they file with the state (e.g., income tax returns) to indicate that they…
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CMS Proposes Rule to Codify 12-Month Continuous Eligibility and Improvements to Maternal Health
CMS released a proposed rule related to Medicare hospital outpatient and ambulatory surgical center payments that also includes provisions codifying the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (CAA) requirement that states provide 12-months of continuous eligibility to all children in Medicaid and CHIP under age 19 as of January 1, 2024. While most of the rule…
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Improving Access in Medicaid Managed Care Using State Directed Payments
The Centers for Medicare & medicaid Services (CMS) recently released new Medicaid managed care regulations that update CMS policy on State Directed Payments (SDP). In this blog we’ll cover what SDPs are, how they can be used to improve access to care, and some changes in how CMS will allow and regulate them. You can…
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CMS Expresses Concern over States with Large Shares of Application Backlogs
Much has been written about the enormous task state agencies have faced as they returned to routine operations during the unwinding of the Medicaid continuous enrollment requirement. While the primary focus (rightfully) has been around renewals and the renewal process, states have other eligibility and enrollment operational responsibilities including processing applications for new applicants or…
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States are Harnessing the Benefits of Video to Boost Outreach and Enrollment
Have you ever watched an instructional video about how to cut an avocado? Or how to change a car tire? Even short, explanatory videos about some of the simplest tasks can garner thousands of views from individuals looking to learn a new skill. The complexities of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are…
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District Court Strikes Down Approvals of Harmful Waivers in Indiana (and Shows the Supreme Court is Wrong About Many Things)
After a week full of partisan and poorly-reasoned Supreme Court decisions, it was a relief to see that at least one federal court continues to do its job faithfully. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued yet another stellar section 1115 demonstration decision, in a case called Rose v. Becerra, vacating the…
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Medicaid Managed Care Quality Strategy and Quality Rating System
The Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality final rule makes significant improvements to managed care quality requirements, including boosting transparency and reducing reporting lag times. When fully enacted, these changes will transition states from reporting a single overall quality rating for a managed care plan to rating all…
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Supreme Court (Yet Again) Destroys Long-standing Precedent in Another Power Grab: This Time Federal Agencies Greatly Weakened
A power-hungry Supreme Court continues its steady drift away from established legal doctrine and long-standing precedent, acting instead based on political motives and expedience, to the detriment of the country. Today in a 6-3 party-line decision, in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, the Supreme Court pulled yet another 180-degree turn on long-standing precedent, overturning what is…
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CMS Awards 18 States Up to $2.5 Million Each to Advance Medicaid and CHIP School-Based Services
This week, on the two-year anniversary of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is awarding grants to 18 states for implementation, enhancement, and expansion of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) school-based health services. As previously discussed on Say Ahhh!, the 2022 Bipartisan Safer…
