AHCCCS has attempted to renew 1.1 million Arizona Medicaid beneficiaries since the Great Unwinding began April 1, 2023. Since then 200,000 people have lost AHCCCS coverage in the state (18%) leaving about 460,000 renewals still in process and about 450,000 approved.
The state's Medicaid agency, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment...Arizona News
Roughly 200 providers that were found to be participating in fraudulent activities under the guise of substance use disorder rehabilitation have been suspended or terminated by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) as of June 1.
Nearly 300 people in the Phoenix area were forced out of those rehabs and 75% of them...Arizona News
Along with five other states, Arizona got a jump on redeterminations by starting April 1, 2023, and by culling members who the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) confirmed were factually ineligible for Medicaid first; the agency expects disenrollments to taper off during the next 10 months of the unwinding...
On June 15, 2023, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) issued its June Report to Congress which includes recommendations for DSH payments, delivering on the promise of dual integration and access to Medicaid coverage for released prisoners. MACPAC is an independent, non-partisan commission composed of experts in...
The federal government is worried that procedural disenrollments are too high as the Medicaid redetermination process proceeds.
On Monday, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra published a letter requesting that states take advantage of allowances and flexibilities authorized by HHS in their...Arizona News
Arizona's Medicaid agency announced it had filled five leadership positions rounding out the agency's executive management team and completing the new structure that combines the Division of Fee for Service Management (DFSM), the Division of Community Advocacy and Intergovernmental Relations (DCAIR), Communications, and Legislative...CMS Rules
States are employing tech vendors to help facilitate communications for the Medicaid redeterminations process, but they can't curb the high volume of enrollees losing coverage.
More than 90 million Americans must undergo eligibility review over the next several months and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has estimated...CMS Rules
As states proceed with Medicaid redeterminations after three years of a pause on eligibility review, hundreds of thousands of Americans are losing insurance coverage, according to early data reports. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are stressing the importance of limiting the number of lost enrollees and facilitating...Arizona News
Arizona is still reeling from the conclusion of an investigation that found fraudulent rehabilitation centers were exploiting and often kidnapping Indigenous people from Southwestern tribes and billing the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) for treatment they never provided.
According to 12 News, some of the...
The Arizona Legislature has recessed until Monday June 12, but before they went they passed a slew of legislation that Governor Katie Hobbs then either vetoed or signed.
Governor Hobbs signed three pieces of legislation related directly to healthcare including extensions of state regulatory boards for dentists and naturopaths, and...
In a news conference Tuesday morning, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Attorney General Kris Mayes and representatives from 13 Arizona tribes made an announcement that fraudulent rehabilitation facilities cost the state "hundreds of millions of dollars" and victimized countless vulnerable Indigenous people.
AZCentral reports that the...
Last week, the Arizona Legislature passed a $17.8 billion bipartisan budget bill. The bill contains several health funding provisions but does not extend the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) which is set to expire at the end of June.
The greatest public health benefit is $150 million into the Arizona Housing Trust...
Last week, the Arizona Senate voted to approve federal funding for Arizona's Medicaid program. Senators voted 26-3 to allocate $3.36 billion to the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Arizona's Medicaid program. However, the Senate Appropriations Committee failed to pass a bill that would continue the program through...Arizona News
Now CEO and President for JSN Strategies, Jami Snyder served as director of Arizona's Medicaid agency, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), from 2019 through December 2022. MACPAC reviews Medicaid and CHIP access and payment policies and advises Congress on issues affecting Medicaid and CHIP.
Before joining...Arizona News
An analysis from the U.S. Department of Health Services found that unnecessary cancellations of Medicaid coverage during the redetermination process could impact 74% of enrolled children - Arizona is one of four states highlighted for its use of state and federal databases to determine family income as opposed to relying upon...Arizona News
The Arizona State Legislature is currently on their "spring break," meaning that tracking bills is on a hiatus. But some bills of interest are still viable, and Governor Katie Hobbs signed a handful of new laws.
The Arizona Senate passed a bill that would expand cochlear implant coverage for adults on Medicaid, the Arizona Capitol...Top of The Day
In 2021, 42% of Medicaid enrollees aged 19-64 were employed and 15% of working enrollees reported having both Medicaid and employer-sponsored health insurance.
The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) Office of Health Policy estimated that in 2021 there were 327,000 employed Medicaid members in Arizona, most (91%)...
A crisis of mental health continues to grip the U.S. and Arizona, with a special focus on young people struggling with mental and behavioral health issues.
In Arizona, the patients with serious mental illness (SMI) at the Arizona State Hospital (ASH) may fall under the care of new management if a bill passes Arizona's legislature this...
Arizona lawmakers made progress on several bills related to healthcare and COVID-19 this week.
Last Tuesday, the Arizona Senate Health and Human Services Committee approved HB 2474, which would prohibit schools from requiring immunizations issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under emergency use authorization for...
