Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs released her proposed $17.7 billion FY2027 executive budget last Friday, quickly drawing fire from Republican lawmakers and setting up negotiations at the state Capitol over taxes, Medicaid funding and administration, SNAP benefits, housing support, education funding, and artificial intelligence as well as how to...
Congress will soon debate whether to extend the enhanced Premium Tax Credits (PTCs) again or potentially make them permanent. Since introduced in 2021, enhanced PTCs have driven record-high enrollment in the Marketplaces across all income levels. The report predicted that 7.2 million more people will enroll in 2025 Marketplace plans than...
Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) is investing $47.5 million from ARP Awards to help strengthen HCBS in Arizona.
Starting on December 4, 2023, eligible HCBS providers can apply for up to $1 million for programmatic or infrastructure projects to improve HCBS for round 2 of the ARP Program Awards. All applications...
Starting April 17, 2023, providers can apply for up to $500,000 for programmatic or infrastructure projects to improve the health, safety, and member experience of individuals who receive Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) in Arizona. All applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on May 16, 2023.
The Arizona Health Care Cost...Arizona News
Funding for the future Center for Advanced Molecular and Immunological Therapies (CAMI) in downtown Phoenix received a strong vote of support from Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey who allocated the funds from federal dollars received from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to support COVID-19 response and recovery.
The new center will be located...Arizona News
New mothers in Arizona covered by Medicaid are getting closer to receiving a year of health benefits after they give birth. Once approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and operationalized, the option for the 12-month extension of postpartum coverage will be available through the Arizona Health Care Cost...
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (APSE) published a report late last week that projects that 15 million people could lose health coverage once states resume checking Medicaid enrollees for eligibility at the conclusion of the COVID-19 public health...
Nearly 1,400 community health centers across the country received a total of $90 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding to advance health equity through better data collection and reporting.
The awards are on top of the $7.6 billion in ARP funds provided to community health centers to strengthen the health center workforce,...National News
Last Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced a reconciliation package that includes drug pricing reforms, a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits enacted under the American Rescue Plan (ARP), in addition to deficit reduction and investments in climate and energy security. Senator Joe...
Fallout from COVID-19 policies continue as hospitals nationwide struggle to maintain a workforce. Nurse and healthcare worker unions and advocacy organizations blame hospital policies and reduced pay for the worker shortages. OSHA moved to revoke Arizona's state plan after ongoing violations of federal policy to enforce worker...
Under the Biden administration and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the national push to improve community access to health resources has gained steam and policy decisions reflect the public demand for greater resources.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a $105 million grant to strengthen...Arizona News
The proposal: Don't force a worker's spouse and children on expensive employer-based insurance if it costs more than 9.8% of the family's income and more affordable health insurance can be found on the Marketplace.
In a White House release, millions are now ineligible for Marketplace coverage and premium tax credits,
For family...
March 23 was the 12th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) . The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a report to highlight the ways in which the ACA is "the strongest it has ever been" due to the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and other efforts by the Biden administration to strengthen Americans' access to...
Governor Doug Ducey directed funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) to the American Heart Association (AHA), which will collaborate with neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in Maricopa County hospitals to reach 5,000 families annually.
The Infant CPR Anytime Kits have all the tools needed to teach parents CPR and infant...
Health insurers are continuing to lobby for a permanent expansion of the American Rescue Plan (ARP), which, thus far, has increased tax credits for qualified earners, extended the enrollment period, and encouraged millions of Americans and Arizonans alike to enroll in health insurance benefits.
More than 40,000 Arizonans signed up...
Earlier this year, The American Rescue Plan provided larger financial assistance to help cover insurance premiums for Affordable Care Act enrollees through 2022. This Friday, House Democrats proposed making this assistance permanent as part of Democrats’ $3.5 trillion social spending package.According to Modern Healthcare, the...Arizona News
New data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) showed that more than 2.5 million people enrolled in health coverage on HealthCare.gov and state Marketplaces during the 2021 Special Enrollment Period (SEP), which will close on August 15th.
Enrollment increased by about 404,000 nationwide in July 2021....Arizona News
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provided $398 million in funding through the Small Rural Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) to 1,540 small rural hospitals for COVID-19 testing and mitigation; funding allocated by the American Rescue Plan.
State...News
Since February 15, 1.2 million consumers, nearly 24,000 in Arizona, have enrolled in the Affordable Care Act’s Healthcare.gov marketplace plans as a result of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Special Enrollment Period for the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
CMS released a new report that shows that more than 1 million new and...News
According to the Harvard Business Review, the fastest-growing states - including Texas, Florida, and Georgia, consistently rank last when it comes to health and health care.
The reasons for this include:
States have large numbers of uninsured adults
High levels of premature death from treatable conditions
Less investment...
