April 2018

There was a flurry of activity surrounding the opioid epidemic in Washington D.C. this week as both the House and Senate advanced measures, which have states optimistic about the prospect of additional federal funding for the crisis. The Kaiser Health News Podcast, What the Health (starts at 7:11) has a good summary of the activity in Congress this week. Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Accelerator Program announced it is launching a new technical support opportunity for state Medicaid agencies through the Reducing Substance Use Disorder program area with an information session scheduled for May 2.

This week saw several states moving forward with Section 1332 waiver applications. On Wednesday, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance in Wisconsin submitted the state’s 1332 waiver application to implement a reinsurance program, and today, Maryland posted its draft Section 1332 application and announced it will hold four public hearings.

On Monday the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final 2019 Payment Notice Rule. Our colleague Sabrina Corlette from Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms has authored an expert perspective for State Health and Value Strategies that focuses on the major provisions of the Payment Notice and accompanying guidance documents that have significant implications for states.

This week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final report of enrollment activity for the individual marketplaces during open enrollment for plan year 2018.