Medicaid

In 2021, under a recently released rule from CMS, D-SNPs will be required to notify the state or state’s designee when enrollees experience Medicare-covered hospital or skilled nursing facility admissions in order to ensure timely transitions of care. The Integrated Care Resource Center has released a brief that examines approaches from three states – Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee – to develop and implement information-sharing processes for their D-SNPs that support care transitions.

CMS has released a notice with information about the process for states to apply for a “good faith effort” (GFE) exemption, which provides up to one year of extra time to come into compliance with Electronic Visit Verification.

The Leavitt Partners released a report reviewing the Medicaid non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) benefit, focusing on the program integrity of the benefit. . The report examines challenges and opportunities for Medicaid directors in improving Medicaid NEMT program integrity.

The AARP Public Policy Institute released a report outlining the recent changes to supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage. The report explains the major changes in benefits present in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

CMS provided the president and Congress a report detailing the center’s action plan to provide support and technical assistance to states delivering supports to Medicaid beneficiaries with substance use disorder (SUD). The report outlines how CMS plans to implement requirements of Section 1018(a) of the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act in 2020-2021.

ACL, CMS, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) have released a Q&A document to help grantees, stakeholders, and self-advocates better understand the Medicaid buy-in program. The Medicaid buy-in program includes Medicaid eligibility groups that serve workers with disabilities who are earning income and whom states may charge premiums as a condition of Medicaid eligibility.

This new report from ASPE and HUD examines the Support And Services at Home (SASH) program from 2010-2016. The SASH program uses affordable housing properties as a method for delivering services to older adults and individuals with disabilities living in Vermont. The study used a mixed-methods evaluation to examine the effects of the SASH program on health care utilization outcomes, Medicaid expenditures, and Medicare expansion.

This report highlights Medicaid waiver policies that could result in many people losing coverage, even as states incur greater costs. This report offers a detailed assessment of emerging waiver trends, providing insights into its critical implications. The report also describes how examining the research literature and evaluations of programs that impose similar policies can provide guidance on predicting the coverage and cost impacts of emerging waivers on Medicaid beneficiaries and states.

This issue brief highlights Medicaid HCBS enrollment and spending data from the Kaiser Family Foundation's 17th annual state survey. The report found that nearly all Medicaid HCBS enrollment (86%) and spending (93%) went to services provided at state option. This optional nature of most HCBS covered populations and services puts individuals at risk of losing services if the current structure of Medicaid financing were to change.

This toolkit summarizes LTSS reform strategies adopted by state innovators. It identifies concrete policy strategies, operational steps, and federal and state authorities that states have used to advance LTSS reforms. It also includes specific case studies and advice for other states looking to implement similar reforms. In addition, CHCS has published a brief for state legislators looking for a summary of options for developing LTSS policies.