Medicaid

This brief outlines key recommendations to further Medicaid and public health opportunities and cross-agency partnerships that advance health equity. These cross-agency efforts can use three broad strategies to promote health equity: (1) advance internal-facing health equity work; (2) leverage data to drive health equity efforts; and (3) engage community members authentically.

NCOA, in partnership with the Medicare Rights Center, recently expanded the resources in their toolkit that help explain integrated care coverage options for dual eligibles. New items in the toolkit include a video tutorial explaining integrated care, an infographic for counselors, and comparison charts highlighting the differences between Original Medicare, PACE, Duals Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) and integrated D-SNPs.

CHCS senior program officer, Diana Crumley, JD, MPAff, has helped state Medicaid agencies, health plans, and community-based organizations think through issues regarding health-related social needs and social care integration over the last four years. This blog post outlines four lessons from her experience supporting health care stakeholders address health-related social needs and health inequities, while focusing on advanced primary care and Medicaid managed care.

The Administration will require COVID-19 vaccination of staff within all Medicare and Medicaid-certified facilities to protect themselves and patients from the COVID-19 Delta variant. On Thursday, September 9, 2021, CMS, in collaboration with the CDC, announced that emergency regulations requiring vaccinations for nursing home workers will be expanded to include hospitals, dialysis facilities, ambulatory surgical settings, and home health agencies, among others.

CMS released a SHO letter with updated guidance to assist states in planning for resuming normal state Medicaid, CHIP, and BHP operations for the eventual end of the public health emergency. The SHO provides updated guidance regarding the extended timeframe for states to complete pending work in eligibility and enrollment to up to 12 months after the PHE ends and redetermination of eligibility requirements states must complete after the PHE for all beneficiaries before taking adverse actions.

ACL is introducing a new blog feature intended to keep the aging and disabilities networks up to date about new policies. Visit their blog page to read about the latest policy advancements in the field.

On August 3, 2021 CMS published a proposed rule that would rescind a 2019 policy change prohibiting reassignment of certain Medicaid payments. The rule would re-instate a policy that was first established in 2014 allowing payments to third parties when Medicaid program is the primary source of revenue for the provider. CMS is accepting comment on the proposed rule until September 28, 2021.

In this episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast series, Ivory Banks, chief of staff at the Department of Medical Assistance Services, Commonwealth of Virginia, and Marlia Mattke, assistant administrator at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, share their successes and challenges in pursuing diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts that better support staff of color in Medicaid agencies.

This episode of the Medicaid Leadership Exchange podcast discusses ways to address inequities in Medicaid. Ben Shaffer, Medicaid Director at the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and Kelly Cunningham, Interim Medicaid Administrator at the Illinois Division of Medical Programs, Department of Healthcare and Family, will be sharing how effective data measurement is critical for Medicaid programs to advance equity and better understand the populations served.

On Tuesday, June 15, 2021 the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) released its June 2021 Report to Congress on Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The report recommends that Congress take measures to address the effect of high-cost specialty drugs on state Medicaid programs and take steps that would improve access to mental health services for adults and children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.