July 6 Update: CMS reports on marketplace enrollment and trends; Innovative early childhood funding strategies; Business case for racial equity

This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a series of three new reports on marketplace enrollment and trends. The reports include data on:

A comprehensive summary of the reports, including details on the role of agents and brokers, can be found in this Health Affairs blog post. Updates follow.

  • Colorado – The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing launched Phase II of the Accountable Care Collaborative (ACC) on July 1. The next iteration of the ACC seeks to leverage the proven successes of Colorado Medicaid’s programs to enhance member and provider experience.
  • Hawaii – Governor David Ige signed into law Senate Bill 2340, which ensures protections included in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) will be preserved under Hawaii law, such as extending dependent coverage for adult children up to 26 years of age, and prohibiting health insurance entities from excluding individuals with preexisting conditions.
  • Kentucky – Late last Friday, a federal judge issued a decision blocking Kentucky from implementing its proposed community engagement/work requirement for Medicaid beneficiaries. The Health Affairs blog has an analysis of the decision.
  • Maryland – The state’s Section 1332 waiver application to implement a reinsurance program was deemed complete by CMS yesterday. We have updated our map to reflect the progress of Maryland’s application.
  • Nebraska – The Department of Health and Human Services announced that it is permanently implementing the Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs) which provide Nebraskans with disabilities of all ages and those over the age of 60 who are eligible with a single point of entry to navigate and access long-term care services. A pilot of the ADRCs was implemented in 2016.
  • New Jersey – The Department of Banking and Insurance officially submitted a Section 1332 waiver application for reinsurance to CMS. Our map has been updated and we will continue to monitor the state’s progress.
  • Pennsylvania – Insurance Commissioner Jessica Altman sent a letterthis week to the Trump Administration, urging immediate release of funding details for the Navigator program for the 2019 Affordable Care Act (ACA) open enrollment period, so the organizations which coordinate helping Pennsylvanians sign up for health coverage are able to plan their outreach efforts.
  • Utah – CMS announced it is accepting comments on Utah’s amendment to their section 1115 demonstration waiver requesting to expand Medicaid eligibility to adults age 19 to 64 with household incomes up to 95 percent of the federal poverty level and implement a community engagement requirement for individuals in the proposed expansion population who do not qualify for an exemption. Comments can be submitted through August 4, 2018.

Leveraging Federally Qualified Health Centers to Address Substance Use Disorders

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) released a Request for Applications for states to apply to participate in the State Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Policy Institute: Leveraging Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) to Address SUD. The institute will support up to five state teams to develop innovative strategies to increase access to and quality of SUD treatment, recovery, and preventive services for Medicaid beneficiaries in FQHCs. The institute will begin in September 2018. Additional details, including application questions, can be found on the NASHP webpage.

Medicaid is Not Just for Doctor’s Visits: Innovative Early Childhood Funding Strategies

Our friends at the Center for Health Care Strategies recently published a blog post highlighting opportunities for Medicaid programs to address social determinants of health to improve early childhood outcomes. The post explores strategies for connecting Medicaid with other cross-sector efforts in education, supportive housing, child welfare, and home visiting. Strategies include shifting mindsets, speaking the same language, and aligning priorities across agencies.

The Business Case for Racial Equity: State Analysis and Reports

Altarum and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation recently released three new reports examining the economic benefits of racial equity. The reports build on the national study released earlier this year, The Business Case for Racial Equity: A Strategy for Growth, which revealed a potential economic gain of $135 billion per year if racial disparities in health are eliminated. The report also notes other economic benefits including increasing the size and skill of the workforce, increasing productivity, and improving investments in education and community resources. The three new reports analyze the business case in Mississippi, New Orleans, and New Mexico.