Blogs / Reports
FEATURED ARTICLE
State-based Exchange Directors Share their Marketplace Successes with Congress
/in Policy Blogs Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Medicaid Expansion, State Insurance Marketplaces /by Trish RileyOn March 5 and 6, 2019, state-based exchange directors convened in Washington, DC for peer-to-peer discussions and meetings with Congressional staff and federal officials, hosted by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP). The meeting has become an important annual event for the state-based exchanges – which provide the infrastructure, websites, and customer support […]
Considerations for States Crafting Budgets to Support Children’s Coverage
/in Policy Blogs Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care /by Anita CardwellAfter months of uncertainty and a three-month federal funding lapse, in early 2018 Congress passed the HEALTHY KIDS and ACCESS Acts, which appropriated federal funds for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through federal fiscal year (FFY) 2027. While the HEALTHY KIDS and ACCESS Acts’ long-term funding stabilizes CHIP programs and helps states develop forward-focused […]
Oregon’s Accountable Health Model Addresses Health Equity and Health-Related Needs: Four Lessons from CCO 2.0
/in Policy Oregon Blogs Accountable Health, Chronic and Complex Populations, Community Benefit, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Social Determinants of Health /by Amy ClaryStates developing accountable health models often look to Oregon for inspiration. Oregon established its Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs) in 2012, pursuant to a Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration waiver. CCOs are local networks of all types of health care providers — including physical, behavioral, and oral health providers — that the state pays a global capitated […]
Hospital Price Transparency: The Next Frontier
/in Policy Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Washington Blogs Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, Health System Costs, Medicaid Managed Care, Value-Based Purchasing /by Josephine PorterThe Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took an important first step toward increasing the transparency of hospital finances when it required hospitals to post their charge information, effective January 2019. But, these charges are not prices paid — they are typically the starting point against which commercial payers negotiate discounts. States with all-payer […]
What’s Brewing with Medicaid Expansion?
/in Policy Blogs Health Coverage and Access, Medicaid Expansion, State Insurance Marketplaces /by Anita CardwellWith many new governors in office and state legislatures in session, policymakers in nearly all of the 14 states that have not implemented the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion are considering various proposals to broaden coverage on their own terms. Additionally, states that recently expanded Medicaid through ballot initiatives are taking different approaches toward implementation, […]
Montana Explores a New Approach to Regulating Pharmacy Benefit Managers
/in Policy Montana Blogs Administrative Actions, Model Legislation, Newly-Enacted Laws, Prescription Drug Pricing, State Rx Legislative Action /by Sarah LanfordState legislatures across the country continue efforts to address the opaque business practices of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to protect consumers and lower prescription drug prices. Montana is taking a new approach by leveraging its insurance department’s regulatory authority over insurance carriers by proposing a bill that tasks insurers with responsibility for overseeing that PBMs […]
The State of States: How Governors Plan to Address Health-Related Social and Economic Factors in 2019
/in Policy Blogs Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Health Equity, Housing and Health, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by NASHP StaffGovernors’ state of the state and inaugural addresses provide critical insights into their policy proposals that impact the health of their residents. Last week, the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) highlighted the health care issues governors raised in their 2019 addresses. This week, NASHP examines the social and economic issues raised – such […]
NASHP’s Health and Housing Institute Celebrates First Anniversary
/in Policy Blogs Community Benefit, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Equity, Housing and Health, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health, Value-Based Purchasing /by Malka BerroThis month, the five member states of the National Academy for State Health Policy’s (NASHP) Health and Housing Institute are marking their first anniversary of breaking down agency silos and advancing reforms to improve health and housing for vulnerable populations, including those experiencing homelessness, struggling with behavioral health or substance use disorders, or transitioning out […]
State Exchange Leaders Express Concern about Potential Rule Changes
/in Policy Blogs Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, State Insurance Marketplaces /by NASHP WritersToday, 13 state-based marketplace directors submitted a joint letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services responding to its request for comment on possible changes to state insurance rules that could eliminate automatic re-enrollment and change cost-sharing reduction policies by 2021. The directors expressed concern that potential changes curtailing those policies would, “create […]
State Laws Help Spur Congressional Action on Drug Prices
/in Policy Blogs Administrative Actions, Model Legislation, Newly-Enacted Laws, Prescription Drug Pricing, State Rx Legislative Action /by Jennifer ReckUnrelenting and unpredictable increases in prescription drug prices have spurred states to try to unlock the black box of manufacturer pricing strategies by requiring disclosure of how prices are set and how rebates are handled throughout the supply chain. Six states already have transparency laws on their books and almost two dozen more have introduced […]
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. 
States’ COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Declarations and Mask Requirements
/in COVID-19 State Action Center Charts, Featured News Home, Maps COVID-19, Featured Policy Home, Health Equity, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by NASHP Staff and Ella Roth