Health Coverage and Access
FEATURED ARTICLE
The Biden Health Plan and States: Opportunities for Collaboration
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home Administrative Actions, Consumer Affordability, COVID-19, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Model Legislation, Population Health, Prescription Drug Pricing, State Insurance Marketplaces, State Rx Legislative Action /by Trish RileyAs he launched his Covid-19 Task Force this week, President-elect Joe Biden moved quickly to turn his health care campaign promises into policies in preparation for entering the Oval Office in January. In addition to ending the pandemic, Biden plans to build on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by expanding access to and affordability of […]
The Forgotten Votes of 2020 – State Ballot Initiatives Addressing Health Concerns
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Consumer Affordability, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Population Health /by Trish Riley and Amanda AttiyaAmid intense scrutiny of 2020 Presidential election results, little attention has been paid to health-related state ballot initiatives. While COVID-19 limited citizens’ ability to collect signatures to get questions on the ballot, citizens and legislatures in nine states placed health care-related issues on their state ballots.
As SCOTUS Considers ACA’s Future, State Marketplaces Enroll Consumers amid COVID-19
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home Consumer Affordability, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, State Insurance Marketplaces /by Gia GouldAs the Supreme Court hears oral arguments today about the fate of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the case of California vs. Texas, state-based health insurance marketplaces (SBMs) are actively connecting consumers to health insurance coverage during the annual open enrollment period that launched Nov. 1.
Public Insurance Financing of Home Visiting Services: Insights from a Federal/State Discussion
/in Policy Blending and Braiding Funding, Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Health Coverage and Access, Integrated Care for Children, Long-Term Care, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, State Resources, The RAISE Family Caregiver Resource and Dissemination Center /by Taylor Platt and Karen VanLandeghemImplications for States if SCOTUS Overturns or Upends the ACA
/in Policy CHIP, Consumer Affordability, Eligibility and Enrollment, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, Health System Costs, Medicaid Expansion, State Insurance Marketplaces /by Anita Cardwell and Christina CousartThe Supreme Court decision in the California vs. Texas case challenging the Affordable Care Act (ACA) could impact all or just a few of its policies and programs with far-reaching consequences for states. This NASHP slide deck describes the ACA’s major provisions, state implementation of the act, and potential implications if the ACA is overturned […]
You Can’t Unring a Bell – Implications for States if the Supreme Court Upends the Affordable Care Act
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home CHIP, Consumer Affordability, Eligibility and Enrollment, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, Health System Costs, Medicaid Expansion, State Insurance Marketplaces /by Trish RileyFor more than a decade, states have been at work implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Today, to varying degrees, its provisions are hardwired into all states. If the ACA fails to survive the objections raised in the US Supreme Court case California vs. Texas, states will face significant challenges and new costs.
States Invited to Join a Community of Practice to Improve Immunization Rates
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home CHIP, CHIP, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Immunization, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health /by NASHP StaffHow States Address Social Determinants of Oral Health in Dental and Medical Medicaid Managed Care Contracts
/in Medicaid Managed Care Blogs, Featured News Home Child Oral Health, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Oral Health, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health, Special Populations and Services /by Ariella Levisohn, Allie Atkeson and Carrie HanlonInequities in oral health and health outcomes are driven by upstream factors, including diet, education, transportation, and access to care. A growing number of states are working to improve the oral and physical health of Medicaid enrollees and reduce costs by addressing these social determinants of health in their managed care contracts.
CMS Approves Georgia’s Partial Medicaid Expansion
/in Policy Georgia Blogs, Featured News Home Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Medicaid Expansion, Work Requirements /by Anita CardwellLast week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage Section 1115 waiver request, allowing for a limited expansion of Medicaid that provides coverage to individuals ages 19 to 64 earning up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL).
State Strategies to Address the Black Maternal Health Crisis
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home Eligibility and Enrollment, Eligibility and Enrollment, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Infant Mortality, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care /by Taylor Platt, Eddy Fernandez and Carrie HanlonThe inequities laid bare by COVID-19 underscore the importance of states’ efforts to develop policies and interventions to address all health disparities. Systemic racism, a driver of these inequities, also fuels disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality – Black women are four-times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. States are on […]
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