Blogs / Reports
FEATURED ARTICLE
Medicaid Strategies to Promote Increased Access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC)
/in Policy Blogs Health Equity, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Lesa Rair and Tamara KramerUnplanned pregnancies can present a tremendous challenge for many women, healthcare payers and the community, and are associated with a number of negative health outcomes, such as delayed prenatal care and premature births. Efforts like the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) recent guidance and the Collaborative Improvement & Innovation Network to Reduce Infant […]
State Levers to Advance Accountable Communities for Health
/in Policy California, Minnesota, Vermont, Washington Reports Accountable Health, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Housing and Health, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Quality and Measurement, Social Determinants of Health /by Lesa Rair, Taylor Kniffin and Felicia HeiderStates are testing a myriad of models that strive to achieve the Triple Aim objectives of improved care, reduced health care costs, and better health. Though several statewide health care delivery and payment system reforms have been shown to help slow the growth of health care expenditures and improve methods for delivering health care, taken […]
Connecticut and Vermont Join the Ranks of New England States Limiting Opioid Prescriptions; Congress Also Takes Steps to Address Epidemic
/in Policy Connecticut, Vermont Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health System Costs, Population Health /by Chiara Corso and Charles TownleyOn May 10, 2016, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy signed legislation limiting most first-time opioid prescriptions to seven days (Pub. Act 16-43). The Vermont General Assembly passed a similar bill earlier this month, which will require the state’s Health Commissioner to adopt rules governing opioid prescribing. (Note: The Vermont law was passed during the final week […]
NASHP Announces Pharmacy Costs Work Group
/in Policy Blogs Administrative Actions, Health Coverage and Access, Prescription Drug Pricing, State Rx Legislative Action /by Lesa RairThe newly launched National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) Pharmacy Cost Work Group will look beyond the strategies currently used in states to identify and develop new ideas which address the growing problem of Rx costs. The group will look broadly at states as purchasers, regulators, policymakers, and investors to develop the next generation […]
State Medicaid and Early Intervention Agency Partnerships to Promote Healthy Child Development
/in Policy Reports CHIP, CHIP, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Quality and Measurement /by Felicia HeiderFacilitating a robust system of communication and coordination between medical and community service providers, an important goal of many health care delivery system reforms, is challenging for many states. With a variety of federal and state agencies sharing responsibility for child health and development, creating effective linkages among services is critical to optimizing outcomes. This […]
Strategies to Increase Access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) in Medicaid
/in Policy Reports Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health /by Tamara KramerThis issue brief, developed by NASHP and NICHQ, details the use of LARC in preventing unplanned pregnancies, the current availability and education for women, barriers to prescribing LARC, and potential Medicaid reimbursement models to improve LARC access. The issue brief was developed as part of the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality […]
Updated HHS Guidance on Improving Health Care Access for Justice-Involved Individuals
/in Policy Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Quality and Measurement, Social Determinants of Health /by Anita CardwellLast Thursday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released new guidance to clarify and update policies related to how states can improve access to Medicaid coverage and services for incarcerated individuals transitioning back into communities. Based on data from a newly published HHS report, currently 2.2 million individuals are incarcerated and an additional […]
Early Highlights of What the Final Managed Care Rule for Medicaid and CHIP Could Mean for Children with Chronic and Complex Health Care Needs
/in Policy Blogs Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Population Health /by Karen VanLandeghem and Tamara KramerLast week the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released its long-awaited final rule outlining requirements for managed care organizations in Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). Preliminary NASHP analyses indicate that the final rule provides states with significant flexibility in making changes designed to modernize these federal programs as part of health […]
Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual Update: Developments We are Watching
/in Policy Florida, Michigan Blogs Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, Medicaid Expansion, State Insurance Marketplaces /by Tamara KramerEarlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Gobeille v. Liberty Mutual dealt a blow to the 18 existing state-run all-payer claims databases (APCDs) by holding that ERISA prevents states from compelling self-funded insurers to report to their data systems. In response to the Court’s decision, a number of state APCDs and/or payers have […]
Preventing Preterm Birth Through Progesterone: How Medicaid Can Help Increase Access
/in Policy Blogs Healthy Child Development, Infant Mortality, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health /by NASHP StaffThe report, Preventing Preterm Birth Through Progesterone: How Medicaid Can Help Increase Access, details the effectiveness of progesterone in preventing preterm births for at-risk women, the current barriers to progesterone access and how some state Medicaid agencies are creating new reimbursement models to make it more readily available. NASHP, in Partnership with NICHQ, Releases Issue Brief 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. 
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