The Biden administration has officially blocked work requirements. Last Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent an official letter to Wisconsin state health officials withdrawing approval for work requirements for the Wisconsin Medicaid program, BadgerCare.
According to NBC26 Green Bay, Acting CMS...CMS Rules
This week, the Supreme Court suspended hearings on Medicaid work requirements as other Trump era Medicaid policies come under fire. Plus, states aren't quite meeting reporting requirements and more reporting adjustments could be on the way.
The U.S. Supreme Court suspended its review of the Medicaid work requirements and removed the...Top of The Day
This week, a study shows Medicaid enrollment trends during the COVID-19 pandemic, a neighboring state removes Planned Parenthood as a Medicaid provider and a Medicaid managed care insurer is accused of overcharging the state of Ohio.
A new study published by Kaiser Family Foundation looked at Medicaid spending and enrollment during...National News
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) sent its March 2021 Report to Congress on Tuesday. The Report generally includes recommendations for legislative adjustments to Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and this one included suggestions for Medicaid's response to current economic...Arizona News
Change and reform are in the air for AHCCCS and the Medicaid program at large. The Biden administration is eyeing moves to undo major Trump administration reforms to the program and AHCCCS has announced some important changes for Arizona beneficiaries.
The Medicaid and CHIP Payment Access Commission (MACPAC) voted late last week to...Arizona News
President Joe Biden could prevent 30% of Medicaid beneficiaries from losing insurance once the public health emergency ends by reworking regulations and rewriting a Trump administration guidance on how to restart the redetermination process, according to Inside Health Policy.
Biden is set to reopen the nation’s online health...Arizona News
The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) released its 2020 Year in Review this week, enumerating the efforts by the agency to innovate improvements in service delivery and its overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
AHCCCS announced that over 60% of the agency’s staff is now run through a virtual work environment,...CMS Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a new rule to streamline prior authorizations and improve electronic healthcare data transfers between doctors, patients and insurance companies. The rule will require payers involved in certain government programs to build apps for the purpose of this exchange and prior...National News
The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) published a report on Monday stating that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) needs to increase communications between the federal agency and state agencies regarding the financing and payment arrangements of Medicaid in order to improve oversight.
The GAO found...Arizona News
At the start of the pandemic, 160 million people in America had insurance through their employers. The pandemic’s disruption to the economy resulted in a loss of coverage for an estimated 14.6 million workers and their dependents by June of this year.
Millions who still have employer benefits have lost wages and income, making...Arizona News
Racial and ethnic health disparities are rooted in inherited inequality and prejudice, with racial and ethnic minorities experiencing inequity in medical treatment and poor health outcomes.
Populations of vulnerable people both in the United States and internationally are more likely to experience more severe effects and higher...National News
Major actors across the healthcare industry are anticipating changes in store for the future Biden-Harris administration as the president-elect signals a path towards stability after four years of erratic policy and attacks on the Affordable Care Act.
However, without a Senate majority, the president-elect will have some...Arizona News
The Arizona Medicaid program had advanced $41 million in provider payments to address the COVID-19 emergency.
On Oct. 27, AHCCCS received federal approval from CMS to increase Arizona hospital reimbursement rates by more than 30%. The Hospital Enhanced Access Leading to Health Improvements Initiative (HEALTHII) will result in a net...Arizona News
Arizona might not be experiencing the national so-called “second wave” of the COVID-19 pandemic, but hospitals are certainly bracing themselves for the possibility that cases could rise again. Many hospitals nationwide are struggling to grapple with the effects of the second wave, as funding and financial relief from Washington also...Arizona News
On Oct. 20, CMS approved a waiver that allows adult Medicaid beneficiaries in Nebraska to receive additional benefits, including vision and dental, if they participate in work requirements. The program is set to go into effect in April 2021.
Nebraska’s new Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration called “Heritage Health Adult" is...Arizona News
Last week CMS said it has taken steps to advance a package of state-led reforms that could result in thousands of uninsured Georgians gaining access to coverage. Specifically, CMS announced the approval of Georgia's new Medicaid section 1115 demonstration called "Pathways to Coverage."
CMS began implementing work requirements for...Arizona News
The COVID-19 pandemic and coinciding economic recession are creating big difficulties for state budgets and Arizona is certainly no exception. As people lose jobs, Medicaid enrollment will grow. Experts are estimating between 5 and 15 million new people will enroll in Medicaid programs by the end of the year.
Health Affairs...National News
A paper released this week in the National Bureau of Economic Research suggested that enhanced payer-focused cost-control methods for Medicaid managed care plans did not influence spending reductions for those payers.
The study looked at the second largest Medicaid Managed Care (MMC) market in the country, New York City where ten...Arizona News
As Arizona COVID-19 cases start to see some decline, the toll that the virus takes on individuals will be long lasting. Populations of vulnerable people both in the United States and internationally are more likely to experience more severe effects and higher rates of infection than more secure communities.
Last week, the Centers...Arizona News
The COVID-19 pandemic has put extreme importance on affordable, accessible healthcare.
Kaiser Family Foundation’s analysis of CMS’ early data on Medicaid finds enrollment grew by 1.2 million, or 1.7%, since December, which includes 800,000 from March. The trends likely reflect the downturn in the economy in addition to the Family...
