Health Coverage and Access
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State Options for Promoting Recovery among Pregnant and Parenting Women with Opioid or Substance Use Disorder
/in Policy Colorado, Pennsylvania, Texas Reports Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Infant Mortality, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home /by Hannah Eichner, Becky Normile and Carrie HanlonThe opioid epidemic has heightened states’ efforts to prevent and treat of substance use disorder (SUD) in pregnant and parenting women. The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), with support from the Health Resources and Services Administration, interviewed Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Texas officials about the unique interagency approaches they are using to promote recovery […]
State Strategies for Shared Plans of Care to Improve Care Coordination for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs
/in Policy Iowa, Oregon, Utah, West Virginia Reports Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Long-Term Care, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home /by NASHP WritersCare coordination is an essential component of care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). When successfully implemented, it can improve care, reduce costs, avoid fragmented and duplicative care, and improve family functioning and satisfaction. As states work to provide quality care coordination, many are adopting shared plans of care (SPoC) to […]
Why Shared Plans of Care Are Critical to Coordinated Care and How States Are Implementing Them
/in Policy Iowa, Oregon, Utah, West Virginia Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home /by Erin Kim, Becky Normile and Karen VanLandeghemChildren and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) can require significant care coordination across a continuum of health and social services. Improved care coordination for CYSHCN can lead to better outcomes for CYSHCN, as well as cost savings for states. To achieve those goals, state Medicaid agencies and Title V CYSHCN programs are increasingly […]
Administration Proposes Significant Policy Changes for State Insurance Markets through New 1332 Waiver Guidance
/in Policy Blogs Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, State Insurance Marketplaces /by NASHP StaffOn Oct. 22, 2018, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services and Treasury issued new guidance governing Section 1332 State Innovation Waivers, now called State Relief and Empowerment Waivers. Through increased state flexibility, the guidance supports the diffusion of association health plans and short-term, limited-duration plans, continue to stymie state efforts to use a 1332 […]
SUPPORT for Families and Communities Act: New Funding and Flexibility for States to Address Substance Use Disorder
/in Policy Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Infant Mortality, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by Kitty PuringtonLast week, Congress sent the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, a wide-ranging bill that seeks to address the country’s opioid crisis across a number of policy areas, to the President for his signature. The act contains numerous provisions that affect how state Medicaid agencies structure and administer services and supports for individuals with opioid […]
Q&A: How Massachusetts Uses Its Medicaid IMD Waiver to Improve Substance Use Disorder Treatment
/in Policy Massachusetts Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by Rachel DonlonIn 2016, only 3.8 million of the 21 million Americans with substance use disorder (SUD) received treatment. As the opioid crisis persists, states have been working to identify new SUD treatment approaches, but the Medicaid Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) exclusion has historically put certain residential health care facilities out of reach for many Medicaid […]
States Take Administrative Actions to Curb Medicaid Drug Costs
/in Policy Ohio, Vermont, West Virginia Blogs Administrative Actions, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Medicaid Managed Care, Prescription Drug Pricing, State Rx Legislative Action /by Jennifer ReckDuring the 2018 legislative session, 28 states passed 45 laws to curb the rising cost of prescription drugs. In addition to legislative solutions, states are taking administrative action to better manage state spending on Medicaid pharmacy benefits. Ohio, West Virginia, and Vermont offer examples of states taking innovative administrative approaches to rein in drug costs. […]
A Snapshot of the Key Health Policy Issues at Play in 2018 Governors’ Races
/in Policy Blogs Administrative Actions, Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Expansion, Population Health, Prescription Drug Pricing, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health, Social Determinants of Health, State Insurance Marketplaces, State Rx Legislative Action, Workforce Capacity /by Anita CardwellWith elections just three weeks away, governors’ races in 36 states – with 17 open seats – are down to the wire and important health policy issues, such as Medicaid expansion, stabilizing insurance markets, public options, and prescription drug price controls, are at play in most of them. The National Academy for State Health Policy […]
Q&A: To Shape an Effective Response to the Opioid Crisis in Texas, You Need to Ask ‘Will It Work in Odessa?’
/in Policy Texas Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Infant Mortality, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health /by NASHP WritersKaren Palombo is the substance use disorder (SUD) team lead in the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s mental health and substance use division who helps shape state intervention and treatment policies. Before joining state government, she worked in hospital, mental health, and SUD treatment settings for nine years as a licensed chemical dependency counselor. […]
Health Coverage and Human Service Program Eligibility: Considerations for States Weighing Systems Integration
/in Policy Blogs Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, Health System Costs, Medicaid Expansion, State Insurance Marketplaces /by NASHP StaffShould states integrate their health insurance and human services eligibility and enrollment systems? Some state officials are weighing this question now that their revamped, Affordable Care Act (ACA) health coverage systems have been operational for several years and most of the early, initial glitches have been repaired. However, there are multiple factors to consider, some […]
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
Rhode Island Looks to Auto-Enrollment to Ease Transitions from Medicaid to Marketplace
/in Health Coverage and Access, Policy Rhode Island Blogs, Featured News Home State Insurance Marketplaces /by Gia Gould and Maureen Hensley-Quinn