Weekly updates

• Financial Relationships Driving Health Costs
• State Collaborative to Lower Prescription Drug Costs
• Hospitals Get Creative: Improving Maternal Care Access in Rural Counties
• Open Comment Period on New Proposed Census Rule
• State updates: AL, AR, CA, CO, DE, IL, ME, MI, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, OR, PA, RI, TX, UT, VA & WV

• Taylor et al. v. Kennedy: Lawsuit Challenging Changes to Medical Frailty
• Engaging Enrollees and Communities in Work Requirements Rollout
• Rural Communities Face Barriers to Work Requirements Compliance
• State Guidance for Evaluating Who Is Subject to Work Requirements
• Replicable State Model for Building Trust in Public Health
• State updates: CO, DC, DE, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, NC, NM, NV, NY, PA, SC, SD, WA & WV

• State Medicaid Programs At Risk of H.R. 1 Penalties
• Guidance for Communicating New Medicaid Work Requirements 
• Analyzing CMS Proposed Rules on SDPs & Provider Taxes
• State Action in August 2026
• State updates: CO, CT, KS, KY, MA, MD, MI, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OK, SC & WV

• Tracking Private Equity in Healthcare
• Strategies to Reduce Healthcare Costs & Provide Better Health Insurance
• Advancing Mental Healthcare Delivery
• New CMS Guidance on Medical Frailty
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, HI, IL, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, VT, WA, WI & WV

• Medicaid Leaders' Take on Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
• Costs Drive State Marketplace Enrollment Decline
• Health Over Profit: Addressing "Financialization" of Healthcare
• CMS' Provider Tax Proposed Rule & Implications for Marketplaces
• Improving Primary Care Access Through State RHT Programs
• State updates: CA, CO, HI, ID, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MO, MT, NC, NJ, NV, NY, TN & VA

• Many Adults May Already Qualify for Exclusions or Deemed in Compliance of Work Requirements
• Improving State Services Through Forms: FormFest 2026
• Themes From State Health Policy This Summer
• Tracking State BAC Reports
• State updates: AK, AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, GA, HI, IL, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, VA, VT, WA, WI & WV

• Tracking State Insurance Coverage of Abortion Services
• State-Level Impacts of H.R.1 Provisions: A Data Dashboard
• Rural Health Transformation Program Request for Proposals Tracker
• State Health and Value Strategies Joins LinkedIn

• Cultivating Medicaid Leadership
• Mitigating Coverage Loss for Students Amid Medicaid Work Requirements
• Tracking State Policy for Reproductive Access, Care & Equity
• Making It Easy to Find State Resources
• State Action in July: Rural Health & H.R. 1 Changes
• State updates: AK, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GU, HI, IL, KS, MA, MD, MN, NC, ND, NM, NJ, NY, OR, RI, WA & WY

• How States Can Better Protect Residents Against Medical Debt
• Analyzing Federal Policy Changes Impact on Hospitals
• Healthcare Loopholes Enabling Financialization
• State Resources for Medicaid & CHIP
• State updates: AZ, MA, ME, MO, NC, NJ, NM, NV, PA, VA & VT

• Would Cancer Patients Be Able to Meet Work Requirements?
• Medicaid Family Planning Programs: A Pathway Forward After Coverage Loss
• Safeguarding Safety-Net Hospitals Against Private Equity
• New CMS Proposed Rule: Provider Taxes
• State updates: DE, IA, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, ND, NE, NM, NV, NY, VA & WV

• CMS' Medicaid Work Requirements Rule Projected to Worsen Coverage Loss
• State Strategies for Childcare & Rural Health Delivery
• Americans Want Major Reform on Healthcare Costs
• Tracking Litigation on Marketplace Rules
• State updates: CA, CO, DE, ID, IN, KY, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, ND, NE, NY, OR, PA, SD & WA

• Policy Insights on Making Healthcare Affordability Possible
• Millions of Medicaid Enrollees Estimated to Lose Coverage
• The Impact of H.R. 1 on Long-Term Services & Supports
• Federal Judge Grants Stay on 2027 Benefit & Payment Parameters
• Requirements for States to Implement Medicaid Work Requirements
• State updates: AZ, CA, HI, ME, MT, PA, VA, WA & WV

• Aligning Infrastructure & Providers to Deliver Whole-Person Care
• Supporting Tech Catalyst Funds Through the RHT Program
• Medicaid Payment Error Rates & What They Mean for States
• CMS Rescinds Section 1115 Fast Tracking
• Resources for States: The Costs of H.R.1 & Rural Health News
• State updates: CA, CO, CT, IL, IN, LA, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, ND, NE, NM, NY, OH, OK, OR, RI, VA, WI & WY

• State Strategies to Improve Healthcare Affordability
• The Key to Longevity & the Science of Aging
• Removing Sociocultural Barriers to Behavioral Healthcare
• What You Need to Know About the Recent State Medicaid Director Letter
• State Efforts to Improve Healthcare in May
• State updates: AZ, CO, HI, IL, LA, MA, ME, MI, NC, NY, VA, WI & WV

• Can the RHT Program Balance Out Federal Funding Cuts?
• State Insurers Set to Exit the ACA Marketplaces
• Resource to Implement Federal Guidance
• New CMS Guidance for Section 1115 Demonstrations
• State updates: AK, AR, CT, GA, ID, KS, MD, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA, VA & WA

• State-Based Marketplace Open Enrollment Data & Key Trends
• What Healthcare Can Learn From the NFL
• Addressing Workforce Challenges to Improve Rural Health
• CMS Final Rule: Federal Medicaid Work Requirements
• State updates: CO, CT, GA, KS, MD, NC, ND, NM, NV, OR, SD, VA & WV

• Summarizing CMS' Proposed Rule for State Directed Payments
• CMS Work Reporting Requirements Outreach Materials
• How Does U.S. Healthcare Compare to Other Developed Nations?
• The Implications of the 2027 NBPP Final Rule
• Translations for Work Requirements' Core Messages
• State updates: AL, CA, CT, KY, LA, MA, ND, NM, NY, OK, SD, VA, WA, WI, WV & WY

• State Strategies to Address Medical Debt
• State Progress on Informing Consumers About Work Requirements
• The No Surprises Act: Fix or Failure?
• New CMS Proposed Rule: State Directed Payments
• Staying Up-To-Date on H.R.1 Implementation
• State updates: CO, LA, MA, MD, MN, MO, ND, NE, NY, PA, RI, TN, VA, WA & WV

• Healthcare Providers Raise Concerns About CMS' Parameters
• Does Prior Authorization Drive Inequality in Healthcare?
• Democratizing Data: Putting Evidence into Action
• Medicaid Medical Directors' Guidance on Medical Frailty Exemptions
• CMS Launches Nationwide Medicaid Fraud Audit
• State updates: AR, AZ, CA, DC, NC, ND, NH, OR, PA, WI & WV

• Fighting Hunger in America & the Future of SNAP
• Innovating State and Local Governments Through Digital Service Teams
• Increasing Medicaid Reimbursement: State Approaches to Improve Mental Health
• States Making a Difference on Coverage & Affordability
• State updates: AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, HI, IL, KS, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA, RI, SD, TX, VA, VT & WA 

• Calculating the Value of Marketplace Plans
• Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities in the States
• Oregon's Regulation of Corporate Influence on Physician Practices
• Communicating About New State Work Requirements
• Toolkit: Implementing H.R.1 Copay Requirements
• State updates: CA, CO, CT, HI, KY, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NM, PA, TX & WV
 

• Marketplace Enrollment Hits New Lows 
• Coordinating Medicaid and SNAP Work Requirements to Streamline Determinations
• State Medicaid Directors Developing Provider Revalidation Strategy
• Federal Court Blocks HHS Gender-Affirming Care Declaration
• State updates: AK, AL, CA, ID, MI, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NY, OK, PA, TX, VA & WV

• Projected Reductions in Medicaid Expansion Enrollment
• Roadmap for the States: Rebuilding the Physician Workforce
• Improving Reproductive Care Through Medicaid Reimbursement
• Summarizing CMS State Health Guidance
• SBM Preparation for Plan Year 2028
• State updates: AL, CA, CT, FL, KY, MN, MO, NV, NY, PA, UT & VA

• Estimating Exemptions and Compliance for Medicaid Work Requirements
• Evaluating Postpartum Coverage's Impact on Racial Inequities: ACA Expansion vs. Non-Expansion States
• Updated CMS Guidance on Noncitizen Coverage
• States Improving Health in March
• State updates: AZ, CA, CT, GA, KS, KY, LA, ME, NC, NE, NV, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, VA & WA

• New SHVS resources
• Ensuring Continuous Coverage for Pregnant and Postpartum Medicaid Enrollees 
• SNAP Work Requirements Screener
• State Trends in Medicaid Coverage of Doula Services
• Marketplace Enrollment Significantly Decreased in 2026 
• State updates: AZ, CA, IL, MN, MT, NE, NJ, PA, SC, VA & WA

• SHVS’ New Resources for States
• Prenatal Care: The Silent Maternal Health Emergency 
• Advancing Technology Innovation Through the RHT Program
• Financing Community Violence Intervention and Prevention Programs Through Medicaid
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, GU, IL, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NM, NY, OR, PA, RI, TN, WA, & WI

• The Promise of Medicaid Section 1115 Waivers 
• Federal Court Halts Vaccine Policy Changes 
• Adapting to a Marketplace Without ePTCs
• State updates: MD, ME, MO, ND, NH, NY, OK, WI & WV

• Advancing Rural Healthcare 
• Federal Executive Orders' Impact on Public Health
• Examining CMS Guidance on Medicaid Renewal
• Improving Maternal Health in Rural Communities
• State updates: CA, CO, CT, ME, MN, MT, NC, NE, NM, NY, OK, RI, WA & WV

• Medicaid Directors' Approach to Medicaid Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
• State Action for Healthcare Affordability
• State updates: AR, CA, CO, CT, GA, IN, MD, MI, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OH, SD, VA & WA

• A New Tool for Implementing Medicaid Work Requirements 
• Onpoint Health Data's Multi-State Behavioral Health Initiative 
• Preserving Medicaid Coverage for People With Disabilities 
• Analyzing the 2027 Notice of Benefit & Payment Parameters

• Partnering with Health Information Exchanges to Identify Medically Frail Exemptions
• Hub for Improving Hospital Pricing Affordability
• Economic Security Policy Areas to Support Children & Families
• Communicating New Medicaid Work Requirements 
• State updates: CA, CO, CT, IL, NM, NY, OR, WA & WV 

• 2027 Proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters
• Helping States Communicate New Medicaid Work Requirements 
• Vaccine Schedule, Rural Health, and State Initiatives 
• Using Technology to Meet Medicaid Work Requirements Criteria 

• Utilizing Medicaid-Marketplace Coordination to Prevent Coverage Loss
• Healthcare Utilization of AI & Its Challenges
• National Decline in 2026 Open Enrollment
• Resources for Reconciliation Implementation
• State updates: AL, CA, CO, FL, MD, MI, MN, MT, NC, NM & NY

• Opportunities for Improving Healthcare Affordability
• Healthcare Utilization of AI & Its Challenges
• National Decline in 2026 Open Enrollment
• CMS Final Rule: Closing Care-Related Tax Loopholes 
• State updates: CA, CO, CT, MD, MN, NJ, NM, NY, OR & WA

• Rising Open Enrollment Cancellations
• Adapting to a Dynamic Policy Environment
• Reconciliation's Changes to Lawfully Present Immigrants' Health Coverage
• State Comparison of Medicaid Enrollee Experiences 
• State updates: AZ, CO, MA, MI, MT, NE, NJ, NV, OR, VA & WA

• Reducing Terminations While Implementing Medicaid Work Requirements
• Drivers of the Increase in ACA Premiums
• RHT Program Awards & the Path to Success
• State updates: AK, AL, CO, MD, MI, MN, NC, NE, NJ & OR

• H.R.1 Changes to Non-Citizen Eligibility for Medicaid, CHIP, and Marketplace Coverage
• States of Innovation: December 2025
• Private Equity and the Surge in Autism Services
• Exploring Artificial Intelligence and Automation in Medicaid
• Implications of CDC's Immunization Guidance
• RHT Program Awards for All 50 States
• State updates: AZ, CO, CT, MA, MD, MI, MN, MS, NH, NJ, NM, PA, SD, WA & WV

• States Can Make Healthcare More Affordable by Lowering Hospital Prices
• Medicaid Financing and the Healthcare Safety Net
• Survey: The Affordability Crisis Is Here, and It's Hitting the Working Class the Hardest 
• CMS Proposed Rule on Gender-Affirming Care
• Toolkits for State Implementation of Work Requirements
• State updates: AL, CA, CO, CT, DE, IL, MI, MN, NJ, NY, OR, VA & WA

• States of Innovation: November 2025
• NAIC Consumer Representative Report: Mitigating Harm Caused by Federal Policy
• A Toolkit for Engaging Medicaid Members
• Bulletin: State Implementation of Medicaid Work Requirements
• Themes for Rural Health Transformation
• State updates: AZ, CA, CT, DE, HI, IL, MD, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NV, NY, OR, PA, WA & WI

• North Carolina's Healthy Opportunities Pilots: Implications for Other Medicaid Programs Considering Social Needs Programs
• Federal Budget Cuts Won't Hit All Hospitals Equally: How States Can Better Analyze Hospital and Health System Financial Data
• Court Issues New Preliminary Injunction Barring Enforcement of Planned Parenthood Defunding Statute
• Resource Hub for Reconciliation Implementation Guidance
• Tracking State-Based Marketplace Open Enrollment
• State updates: AZ, CO, CT, FL, IA, MA, MD, ME, MN, NC, NE, NJ, NY, PA, OR, RI & VA

• The Complex Web of Healthcare Financial Interests and Their Implications for Higher Spending
• The State of Rural Primary Care in the United States
• Robust Implementation of Medicaid Postpartum Extensions Needed
• Federal Guidance on Reconciliation and Immigration 
• Tracking Rural Health Transformation Applications
• State updates: CA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, ME, MI, NC, NJ, NM, OH, OK & OR

• Uncovering the Why: Surveying Consumers Who Don't Maintain Marketplace Coverage
• States of Innovation: October 2025
• Medicaid Officials Project Flat Enrollment Post Unwinding but Increased Spending and Budget Pressure
• The Future of Health in the United States
• Medicaid Work Requirement Exemption: Medical Frailty
• State updates: AZ, CT, IN, LA, MI, NC, NE, OR, RI, SC & WV

• Ensuring Person-Centered Care for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Reducing Coverage Losses Through Effective Implementation of Medicaid Work Requirements
• Interventions to Automate Medicaid Renewals, Reduce Procedural Denials, and Increase Coverage
• State Applications to Transform Rural Health
• Tracking Marketplace Enrollment in 2026
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, CT, NC, NH, NM, NY & OR

• Medicaid Managed Care Oversight Toolkit
• Work Requirements Implementation Toolkit
• Expiring ePTCs Could Lead to 340,000 Jobs Lost in 2026
• Digital Vendors, Human-Centered Principles, and Work Requirements
• Themes from Rural Health Transformation Plan Public Input
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, KY, MN, NC, NJ, NM, OK, WA & WI

• Human-Centered Work Requirements for Medicaid
• Eligibility Cliff on ACA Tax Credits Would Make Health Care Unaffordable for Middle-Class Families
• Focusing Hospital Affordability Policies on the Haves and Protecting the Have-Nots
• Medical Frailty, Managed Care Plans, and Work Requirements
• Federal Policy's Impact on State Marketplaces
• State updates: AK, AZ, CA, CO, DE, NC, NH, NM & NY

• The Impact of Enrollment and Retention Policies on Coverage
• Engaging Medicaid Members and CBOs Through BACs
• Expanded Child Tax Credit Payments Associated with Decreased Adverse Birth Outcomes
• Policy Implications of Vaccine Recommendations
• State updates: CA, MA, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NY, PA & UT

• Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements Exemptions
• State Guidance for Meeting Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements
• Coverage Losses from ACA Tax Credit Delays
• Hospital Pricing Strategies Technical Assistance Program
• Comprehensive Nutrition Supports for Medicaid Enrollees
• State updates: CA, MD, MI, MO, NM, NY, OR, PA, TX & WA

• New Health Insurance Coverage Data from the 2024 American Community Survey
• State Solutions for Covering Uninsured Immigrant Children
• Survey Explores Parents’ Trust In, and Confusion About Childhood Vaccines
• Rural Health Transformation: Funding Opportunity for the States
• Federal Restrictions on Medicaid Work Requirements
• State updates: AL, AZ, CO, CT, DC, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NJ, NM, OH, RI, VT, WI & WV

• New Health Insurance Coverage Data from the 2024 American Community Survey
• State Solutions for Covering Uninsured Immigrant Children
• Survey Explores Parents’ Trust In, and Confusion About Childhood Vaccines
• Rural Health Transformation: Funding Opportunity for the States
• Federal Restrictions on Medicaid Work Requirements
• State updates: AL, AZ, CO, CT, DC, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NJ, NM, OH, RI, VT, WI & WV

• States of Innovation: August 2025
• The Chance for States to Tackle High Health Prices
• New Medicaid Enrollment Barriers and Lessons from Unwinding
• New CMS Preliminary Guidance
• State Considerations for Catastrophic Plans
• State updates: AL, AZ, CO, CT, FL, ID, IL, MA, MD, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NY, OK, RI & WA

• Open Enrollment 2025 Communications Toolkit: Spanish Translations
• Factors Driving 2026 Individual Market Premium Changes
• Implementing High-Quality Primary Care: A Policy Menu for States
• Expanding Access to Catastrophic Plans
• Resources for Reconciliation Implementation
• More on the Rural Health Transformation Program
• State updates: CA, CO, HI, LA, MA, ME, MI, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OR, PA, VA, WA & WY

• Innovations in Vaccine Development and Delivery
• How States Strengthened Their Healthcare Markets in the 2025 Legislative Session
• Implementing Medicaid Work Requirements: A Guide for States
• Monitoring Rural Health Transformation
• Ruling on CMS' Marketplace Integrity Rule
• State updates: CA, CO, DE, IL, IN, MA, MD, MO, MS, NM, OK, OR, PA, SD, TX & WI

• Leaning Into Advanced Technologies to Support State Implementation of New Federal Medicaid Requirements
• How the 2025 Reconciliation Law Will Affect the Uninsured Rate in Each State
• Beneficiary Advisory Council Engagement Framework: A Guide to Strengthening Medicaid Member Collaboration
• Transforming Rural Health
• Toolkit: Communications for State-Based Marketplaces
• State updates: CA, NC, NJ, NM, NV, PA, VA & WA

• Understanding the Impact of Medicaid Estate Recovery: Research Insights
•How Policymakers Are Fighting the Healthcare Affordability Crisis
• Work Impairment and Financial Outcomes Among Adults With Long COVID
• Resources for Work Requirement Implementation
• State updates: CA, CO, GA, IL, MI, MT, NC, ND, NJ, NM, NY, OR, PA, UT, VA & WI

• CMS Announces Connecting Kids to Coverage 2025 Outreach and Enrollment Cooperative Agreement Grantees
• How Much and Why ACA Marketplace Premiums Are Going Up in 2026
• Rethinking Affordability: When Insurance Fails the Affordability Test
• The State of Vaccinations
• State updates: AR, AZ, CA, CO, MA, NC, ND, NJ, NM, NY, OR, PA, TX, VT, WA & WI

• Maternal Mortality in the United States 2025
• Research Roundup: Anticipated Effects of H.R. 1 on Coverage, Affordability, and Uncompensated Care
• States of Innovation: July 2025
• A Closer Look at the Medicaid Program
• Changes to Essential Health Benefits
• State updates: AK, CA, CO, DE, IA, IL, LA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NY, OR, RI, VT & WA

• Former HRSA Administrator on Rural Hospitals’ Financing
•Hospital at Home for Medicaid Enrollees
• Reining in Hospital Prices
• The Road to Budget Reconciliation Implementation
• Provisions for State Medicaid Programs
• State updates: AR, CA, CO, MD, MI, MN, MT, NC, NE, NJ & NM

• The Budget Reconciliation Bill's Impact on State Medicaid 
• Updates to CMS’ Section 1115 Demonstrations
• IRS Releases 2026 Premium Tax Credit Parameters Reflecting Expiration of Enhancements, Recent CMS Rule
• CMS Expands Access to Lifesaving Gene Therapies Through Innovative State Agreements
• KFF Examines 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Data on the Third Anniversary of the National Hotline
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, CT, IL, MI, NC, NM, NV, NY, OR, SD, UT & WI

• Beneficiary Advisory Council Implementation: How States Are Getting Ready
• Understanding Insurance Transitions in Periods of Churn
• A Report on Child Health in the U.S.
• The Reconciliation Bill's Impact on State Medicaid Programs
• State updates:  CA, CT, KY, ME, MN, MT, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, SC, UT, VA & WA

• States of Innovation: June 2025
• Medicaid Expansion Improves Cancer Survival Among People in Rural and High-Poverty Communities
• Supporting Families and Improving Care for Children with Medical Complexity
• State and Congressional District Medicaid Estimates
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, ID, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, ND, NJ, NM, NY, OR, PA, RI, SC, TX, VA, VT, WA & WI

• New CAA CHIP SPA Template - Extended Public Comment Period
• Upcoming Panel: Medicaid Innovation in Improving Access to Behavioral Health Care
• A County-Level Look at How Reconciliation Would Hike ACA Marketplace Premiums
• The ACA’s No-Cost Preventive Services Ruling
• State updates: AL, AZ, CA, CO, DE, IN, MN, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OK & WA

• Senate Announces Deeper Medicaid Cuts 
• Work Requirements' Effect on Disability Coverage
• Hundreds of Rural Hospitals Across U.S. at Risk Due to Healthcare Cuts
• Comparing the Budget Reconciliation Bill and the Affordable Care Act   
• The Reconciliation Bill Eliminates Long-Standing State Flexibility to Operate Marketplaces
• State updates: CA, CO, DC, DE, IL, MD, MI, MN, MT, NC, NJ, OR, PA, RI, WA, WI & WV

• Proposed Federal Changes’ Impact on State Marketplaces 
• Addressing Duplications in Medicaid Enrollment and Payment
• Coverage Impacts of the House Reconciliation Bill 
• The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission’s (MACPAC) Report to Congress   
• The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission’s (MACPAC) Report to Congress   
• Investing in Healthcare to Keep Students in Class 
• State updates: CA, CO, IA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, VT, WA & WY 

• One Big Beautiful Bill
• Coverage Changes in Reconciliation Bill to Impact Non-Citizens 
• State Innovation Round Up: May 2025
• Medicaid Cuts Could Increase Maternal Mortality and Jeopardize Women’s Health
• Projected Outcomes of Removing Fluoride From US Public Water Systems
• State updates: CA, CO, CT, DC, ID, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA, RI, VA, VT, WA & WI

• State Breakdown of Medicaid Budget Proposals
• SHVS Webinar: Proposed Changes to ACA Policies 
• Addressing Root Causes of Childhood Chronic Disease 
• Medicaid’s Role in Addressing Mental Health and Substance-Use Disorder Challenges
• Food and Drug Administration Efforts to Lower Prescription Drug Prices
• State updates: CA, CO, CT, DC, IA, ID, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, VA, VT & WA 

• State Breakdown of Medicaid Budget Proposals
• SHVS Webinar: Proposed Changes to ACA Policies 
• Addressing Root Causes of Childhood Chronic Disease 
• Medicaid’s Role in Addressing Mental Health and Substance-Use Disorder Challenges
• Food and Drug Administration Efforts to Lower Prescription Drug Prices
• State updates: CA, CO, CT, DC, IA, ID, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, RI, VA, VT & WA 

• The Latest on Reconciliation
• Assisting States with Rate Filing Submissions 
• Massachusetts’ New Health Care Reform Takes Aim at Private Equity
• Milbank Memorial Fund Leadership Programs
• Medicaid Cuts Would Undermine Progress Curbing Drug Overdose Deaths
• State updates: AR, CA, CT, ID, KS, LA, MA, MA, ME, MI, MN, ND, NM, OH, PA, UT & VT

• The Latest on Reconciliation
• Assisting States with Rate Filing Submissions 
• Massachusetts’ New Health Care Reform Takes Aim at Private Equity
• Milbank Memorial Fund Leadership Programs
• Medicaid Cuts Would Undermine Progress Curbing Drug Overdose Deaths
• State updates: AR, CA, CT, ID, KS, LA, MA, MA, ME, MI, MN, ND, NM, OH, PA, UT & VT

• Upcoming SHVS Webinar: State-by-State Estimates on the Impact of Potential Medicaid Cuts 
• The Impact of Proposed Medicaid Cuts: 50-State Analyses
• Implications of the Enhanced PTC Expiration on the Rate Review Process
• What if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire in 2026?
• Medicaid Under Fire: How Budget Cuts Could Disrupt Public Life
• Assessing the Impact of Medicaid Cuts for Children and Youth
• State updates: AR, AZ, CA, CO, IA, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, MT, NC, NM, OR, PA & VA

• Upcoming SHVS Webinar: State-by-State Estimates on the Impact of Potential Medicaid Cuts 
• The Impact of Proposed Medicaid Cuts: 50-State Analyses
• Implications of the Enhanced PTC Expiration on the Rate Review Process
• What if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire in 2026?
• Medicaid Under Fire: How Budget Cuts Could Disrupt Public Life
• Assessing the Impact of Medicaid Cuts for Children and Youth
• State updates: AR, AZ, CA, CO, IA, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, MT, NC, NM, OR, PA & VA

• Upcoming SHVS Webinar: State-by-State Estimates on the Impact of Potential Medicaid Cuts 
• The Impact of Proposed Medicaid Cuts: 50-State Analyses
• Implications of the Enhanced PTC Expiration on the Rate Review Process
• What if Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire in 2026?
• Medicaid Under Fire: How Budget Cuts Could Disrupt Public Life
• Assessing the Impact of Medicaid Cuts for Children and Youth
• State updates: AR, AZ, CA, CO, IA, IL, IN, MA, MD, MI, MN, MT, NC, NM, OR, PA & VA

• Budget Reconciliation for Fiscal Year 2025
• The Future of Medicaid 1115 Waivers
• SHVS Webinar: Implications of the Enhanced PTC Expiration on the Rate Review Process
• New States of Innovation: March 2025
• Undue Medical Debt Announces $30 Billion in Medical Debt Cancellation
• Best Practices for Medicaid Coverage of Doula Care
• State updates: AL, AR, AZ, CO, CT, KS, KY, MA, MI, NC, ND, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, VA & VT

• CMS Administrator Confirmed
• ACA Marketplace Regulation and Considerations for States
• Improving Health Through Nutrition Interventions
• Implications for States if  Enhanced Premium Tax Credits Expire 
• Medicaid-Covered Healthcare Visits During the Postpartum Year
• Enrollment Growth in the ACA Marketplaces
• State updates: CO, ID, KY, MA, MN, NC, NJ, NY & RI

• 15 Years of the Affordable Care Act
• Upcoming SHVS Webinar—New CMS Proposed Rule: ACA Marketplace Integrity
• Potential Medicaid Cuts in the Context of State Budgets
• The Economic Costs of Potential Federal Cuts to Medicaid and SNAP
• The ACA at 15: Lesson for Health Reform
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, IL, LA, MN, NC, ND, NY, OK, OR & PA

• SHVS webinar on new CMS proposed rule
• Improving Access to Behavioral Health Coverage for Children 
• Considerations for Medicaid Per Capita Caps 
• New State Payment Arrangements for Prescriptions Drugs 
• Medicaid Cuts to Impact Students and Schools 
• State Updates: CT, ID, NC, NE, NM, NV, NY, OR, PA & WY

• State Estimates on Medicaid Cuts
• Updates to CMS’ Medicaid Premium Payment Rule
• Beneficiary Advisory Council (BAC) Implementation Checklist
• Five States Leading Efforts to Increase Primary Care Spending
• State Updates: AZ, CA, CO, DC, IL, MI, MT, NC, NJ, NY, OH & OR

• Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) Informational Bulletin
• State Efforts to Defend Healthcare Accessibility
• Federal Funding Freeze & Primary Care
• New Poll Finds Large Majorities Don’t Want Cuts to Medicaid Spending
• New Executive Directive Unlikely to Impact Medicaid or Marketplace Spending
• State Updates: CA, CO, IL, MA, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, RI & WI

• SHVS Webinar: Medicaid and Marketplace Reforms Under Consideration
• Protecting Access to Preventive Services
• Proposed Medicaid Cuts to Increase Coverage Losses 
• A Roadmap for Improving Health Insurance Affordability Through Rate Review
• A Medicaid Per Capita Cap: State by State Estimates
• State Updates: AR, CO, CT, IL, MA, MD, ND, NE, NJ, NM, NV & NY 

• Helping States Navigate Healthcare Financialization
• Medicaid Prerelease and Transition Services for Incarcerated Individuals
• The 100 Weeks Project
• Medicaid’s Role in Child, Youth, and Adult Mental Health
• Potential Impact of Federal Changes on State Healthcare Programs 
• State updates: AZ, CA, CT, IL, MA, MD, MI, NC, NJ, NV, NY & OR 

• SHVS Webinar: Potential Impact of Federal Changes on State Healthcare Programs
• Recommendations for States Developing Beneficiary Advisory Councils 
• What Lies Ahead for Medicaid in Budget Reconciliation?
• Lessons Learned from State Efforts to Slow and Shift Healthcare Spending
• Centering Community Voices to Improve Disability Research
• State updates: CO, LA, MA, NC, NJ, NV, NY & PA

• Widening Gap in Maternal Mortality Rates
• Preserving No-Cost Preventive Services 
• ACA Premiums Set to Rise if Enhanced Subsidies Expire
• Underinvestment in Primary Care is Impacting Patients
• The National Academy for State Policy (NASHP) Hospital Cost Tool 4.0 Launch
• State updates: AR, CA, CT, FL, GA, IL, MD, MN, NC, NJ, NY, RI & WI 

• Recent Federal Funding Activities
• How Medicaid Helps Your State
• Executive Order Seeks to Outlaw Gender Affirming Care for Youth
• Addressing Unaffordable Growth in Hospital Commercial Prices
• State updates: CA, CO, IL, MD, MN, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OR & PA

• CMS' Transforming Maternal Health Model
• Final Rule to Remove Medical Debt From Credit Reports
• New SHVS States of Innovation: December 2024
• Medicaid Per Capita Cap Would Harm Millions of People
• CMS' COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Flexibilities
• State updates: CO, IA, IL, MA, MI, MN, NY, OR, PA, VT, WA & WI

• HHS Clarifies Medicaid Exclusions for Unlawful Activities
• Providing Medicaid/CHIP Services to Incarcerated Youth
• CMS Guidance on Providing Medicaid/CHIP Services to Incarcerated Youth
• Streamlining Medicaid/CHIP Transitions
• State updates: CA, CO, CT, MI, MN, NC, NJ, NY, OK, SC & WA

• Supporting State Beneficiary Advisory Councils
• New CMS Advisory Opinion: Imposing Work Requirements
• Combating Climate Change’s Health Effects
• Updates to CMS' Health-Related Social Needs Framework 
• State updates: AR, CA, CO, KY, MI, NC, OR, WI & WV

• Helping States Implement Continuous Enrollment for Children
• Preparing States to Conduct Ex Parte Renewals
• State Efforts to Improve Access to Care 
• Oregon’s Cost Growth Target: Balancing Accountability and Flexibility
• North Carolina’s Innovative Approach to Tackling Medical Debt
• State updates: AZ, CA, DC, FL, MA, MN, NC, NJ, NY & UT

• Data Sharing for Children Incarcerated Children 
• Guidance on Medicaid/CHIP Renewal Requirements
• Enhancing Access to Care for Individuals Following Incarceration
• Funding Opportunity for States to Update Essential Health Benefits Benchmark Plans
• New Resources to Support BAC Recruitment
• State updates: AL, CO, MA, ME, NC, ND, NM, OR & PA 

• Millions to Lose Coverage if Premium Tax Credits Expire
• State Efforts to Advance Health Equity 
• Guidance on Long-Term Use of Unwinding-Related Waivers
• Substance-Use Disorder Learning Collaborative
• CMS' Health Equity Advisory Committee 
• State updates: CA, CO, FL, HI, IL, MI, MN, NJ, NM, NY & PA

• Promoting Enrollment Among DACA Recipients 
• North Carolina's Medical Debt Relief & Reform Program 
• Recruiting for the BAC: Template Materials
• What Do the New Census Data Say About Insurance Coverage for Children and Adults?
• CMS Releases Sickle Cell Disease Provider Toolkit
• Leveraging Medicaid Managed Care to Address Health-Related Social Needs 
• State updates: DE, MI, NC, ND, NM, OR, RI, WA & WI

• Expanding Access to Traditional Healthcare Practices 
• CMS Guidance on Medicaid Coverage for Children 
• SHVS webinar: The Expiration of the PTC Enhancements: State-Specific Impacts
• Tackling Medical Debt: Lessons from North Carolina
• Affordability in Employer Versus Private Non-Group Coverage Before ARPA
• Understanding and Mitigating Behavioral Health Workforce Shortages
• State updates: CA, CO, LA, MD, MI, MS, NC, NJ, NM, PA & WA

• CMS Proposes Standards for Insurance Marketplaces
• Tracking Mental Health/Substance-Use Parity Compliance 
• Communicating the BAC and MAC
• Streamlining Information Transfers Between Insurers 
• State Public Health and Homelessness Playbook
• State updates: AZ, CA, HI, MA, ME, MI, NE, NY, OR, PA & RI 

• States Actions For Expanding Access to Care
• Tax Credits Support Older Adults and High Premium States
• Medicaid Opportunities to Support Youth Exiting Incarceration
• CMS Recognizes ADHD Awareness Month
• State updates: AZ, CA, DE, MA, MI, MT, NE, NJ, NY, OR & RI

• Strengthening Children’s Health Insurance Coverage
• New Guidance on Medicaid and CHIP Renewal Requirements
• States Have New Flexibility to Add Adult Dental Care to Essential Health Benefits
• Planning Grants to Address Continuity of Care for the Formerly Incarcerated
• Call for Applications: Equity Changemakers Institute
• State updates: CA, ME, MI, MN, MS, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NV, NY, VA & WY

• Transforming Medicaid Outreach with WhatsApp
• Improving Healthcare for Children, Youth, and Families 
• Assessing Coverage and Costs Associated With State-Funded Health Insurance for Immigrants
• Breaking Down 2023 Health Insurance Coverage Estimates
• Leveraging the Buying Value Resources to Advance Health Equity Measurement
• State updates: CA, KY, MA, MO, MT, NC, NJ, NY, PA & RI

• New Final Rule Enhances Mental Health Parity Requirements
• Leveraging the Buying Value Resources to Advance Health Equity Measurement
• AI in Healthcare: Promise or Peril?
• How States Can Advance Health Equity While Lowering Costs
• Building State Capacity to Assess Health Care System Performance
• State updates: CO, CT, DE, MA, MN, NC, NH, NM, NY, PA & WA

• New Flexibilities for Medicaid Demonstration Programs 
• State Health Innovations Address Debt and Access Issues 
• State Medicaid Director Letter: Budget Neutrality
• Current Considerations for State Reinsurance Programs
• Delays in Extending Enhanced Marketplace Subsidies Would Raise Premiums and Reduce Coverage
• State updates: AR, CA, CO, DC, IL, MA, NY, OR, RI & WY

• CMS Guidelines on Eligibility Renewals
• Leveraging Multisector Partnerships to Address Health Related Social Needs
• Streamlining Enrollment for Californians Transitioning From Medi-Cal
• State Initiatives to Improve Birth Outcomes
• State updates: CO, CT, LA, MA, ME, NC, NM, NY, PA & TN

• Helping States Provide Medicaid Services to Incarcerated Youth
• SHVS Webinar: CMS Guidance for Providing Medicaid and CHIP services to Incarcerated Youth 
• Enforcing Mental Health Parity: State Options to Improve Access to Care
• Medicare Drug Price Negotiations Offer Potential Opportunities for States
• Ensuring Coverage for Individuals Receiving Home- and Community-Based Services
• State updates: AR, CO, MA, ND, NJ, NM, NY, RI & VT

• Drug Price Negotiations 
• Helping States Understand the Impact of Medicaid Policy Changes
• Upcoming SHVS Webinar
• State Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model
• The Impact of Enhanced Premium Tax Credits by Race and Ethnicity
• CDC Data Shows Need for Safer and More Supportive Schools
• State updates: AZ, DE, GA, LA, NC, NV, NY, TX, WI & WY

• Upcoming SHVS Webinar
• New Guidance on Family Planning Services and Supply Coverage
• Commercial Market Affordability Strategies Technical Assistance Program
• A Roadmap for Effective Community Engagement
• Impact of Enhanced Marketplace Tax Credits
• State updates: AZ, CA, CT, DE, IN, MI, NM, NY, PA, VA & WI

• New Medicaid and CHIP Disenrollments
• State Strategies to Improve Healthcare
• 59 Years of Medicaid
• 2024 State Scorecard on Women’s Health and Reproductive Care
• Exploring the Rise in Mental Healthcare Use by Demographics and Insurance Status
• State updates: CA, IL, LA, MI, MT, NC, NJ & WA

• Helping States Provide Healthcare Services for Incarcerated Youth
• State Toolkit To Aid Decisions on Continuous Enrollment
• The Medicaid Pathways Program is Seeking New Applicants
• ­Law and Policy Considerations for Workforce Protections from Extreme Heat
•CMS Oral Health Cross-Cutting Initiative
• State updates: CO, DE, ID, IL, MI, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, RI, VA & WI 

• Recent Webinar Highlights Race and Ethnicity Data Collection
• CMS Seeks Applications for CGT Access Model 
• Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Transforming Maternal Health Model
• CMS Issues Guide to 2024 Access Final Rule 
• CMS Spotlights Autism Data on Children Covered by Medicaid

• Upcoming SHVS webinar
• SHVS Launches New States of Innovation Page
• Designing a Health-Related Social Needs Strategy in Medicaid
• Who Benefits From Enhanced Premium Tax Credits in the Marketplace
• Medicaid and Maternal Health Policies in New CMS Proposed Regulation
• State updates: CA, CT, IL, IN, KY, NC, NJ, OR, PA, RI, UT, VT & WA

• New Maternal Health Funding Opportunity
• U.S. Surgeon General Declares Firearm Violence a Public Health Crisis
• Strategies to Achieve Equitable Healthcare and Optimal Health 
• Youth and Young Adults With Disabilities Aging Out of Medicaid, CHIP: Barriers, Inequities, and Recommendations
• Insights on the Medicaid Unwinding From Health Center Data
• State updates: CA, CO, DC, HI, IL, MD, MI, MT, NV, NY, OR, VA & WA

• State Spotlight: New York’s 1332 Waiver 
• New Funding Opportunity for CMS' IBH Model
• Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility, Enrollment, and Renewal Policies During Unwinding and Beyond
• Initiatives to Support Coverage Retention
• Leveraging Medicaid to Address the Maternal and Infant Crisis
• State updates: ME, MI, MN, NC, NE, NJ, NY, RI & VA

• National Health Expenditure Projections
• Medicaid Leadership Institute Class of 2025 
• Banning Medical Bills From Credit Reports
• U.S. Maternal Death Rate Far Higher Than in Other High-Income Countries
• State updates: IL, KY, MI, MT, NY, RI, WA & WI

• Health Insurance Coverage Increases in Minority Communities
• Changes to the Child and Adult Core Measure Sets
• States of Innovation: May 2024
• CMS Final Rules Part 3: Home and Community-Based Services
• State Timelines for Completing Unwinding-Related Renewals
• State updates: AR, CA, CO, CT, HI, IA, MD, MI, MN, NC, ND, NM, OR, PA & WA

• New CMS guidance
• Upcoming SHVS Webinar
• The State of Public Health 
• Maternal Health: New CMS Resources 
• Promoting Health Equity Through State Medicaid Managed Care Strategies
• State updates: CA, IL, IN, KY, ME, MN, MT, NV, OR, RI & WA

• State Policies to Support Medical Debt Cancellation
• New SHVS resources
• CMS Final Rules Part 2: Managed Care Payments, Quality, and Oversight
• New Guidance to Assist Individuals Re-Entering Communities
• Transforming Pregnancy-Related Medicaid Coverage
• State Medicaid and CHIP Outreach Resources and Enrollment Assistance Snapshot
• State updates: AR, CA, GA, IN, MN, NC, NE, NJ, OH, TX & VT

• New Guidance on Streamlining Enrollment 
• SHVS Webinar: CMS Final Rules Part 2 
• New SHVS Blog Series: States of Innovation
• New Leadership Programs to Advance Health Equity 
• Leveraging WIC and Medicaid to Improve Health
• ACA Marketplaces Open to DACA Recipients
• State updates: AZ, CO, CT, IA, KS, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC & OR 

• SHVS Webinar: Final rules on Medicaid and Managed Care
• Final Rule on Coverage for DACA Recipients
• Promoting Equity in Medicaid Managed Care
• States of Unwinding
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, CT, IA, IL, MN, ND, NJ, NM, PA & WA

• Webinar Series: Medicaid Final Rules
• Advancing Innovation in Medicaid
• CMS maternal health Summer Webinar Series
• Medicaid Opportunities to Support Youth Transitioning from Incarceration 
• State updates: AK, AZ, CA, ME, MI, NC, ND, NY, OK, TX, VA & WA 

• New Rule on Website Content Accessibility 
• Advancing Health Equity for Justice-Involved Populations
• Toolkit: Assisting States in Analyzing Hospital Finances
• State updates: AL, CO, CT, MA, MD, MI, ND, NH, OH, OR, RI, WA & WY

• Webinar: Final Eligibility and Enrollment Rule
• 2025 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameter
• Building State Capacity for Community-Informed Policymaking Learning and Action Series
• Medicaid Managed Care Organization Unwinding Survey Fact Sheet 
• Strategies to Address Marketplace Enrollees’ Cost Challenges
• State updates: AR, CA, CO, IL, MO, NC, NY, PA, TX & VT

• Eligibility & Enrollment final rule webinar 
• Short-Term Limited Duration Insurance Final Rule
• The Debate About Banning Menthol Cigarettes
• Lessons Learned from Research on Unwinding
• State Medicaid Member Experience Qualitative Data Scan
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, FL, ID, MA, MN, MO, NC, NE, NM, NV, NY & PA

• CMS Releases Final Medicaid and CHIP Rules
• CMS Extends the Special Enrollment Period
• Modernizing Behavioral Health Systems
• The Remaining Uninsured Eligible for Medicaid and CHIP
• State updates: AK, CA, CT, GA, IL, MA, MD, ME, MI, ND, NJ, NM, NY, OR & RI

•Recognizing the ACA’s 14th Anniversary
• New Resources for Cyberattack Prevention
• CMS Resources: Permissibility of Certain Practices During Medicaid and CHIP Renewals
• Early Data From Community Health Centers During the Unwinding
• Automatic Enrollment: A Pathway to Increased Coverage

• HHS Addresses Data Breach Incident 
• Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data Collection
• Insights on federal healthcare priorities
• Using SNAP to power Medicaid renewals
• State updates: AK, AR, AZ, CA, IL, KY, MA, MD, MI, MO, NC, NJ, NY, OR & UT    

• Medicaid and CHIP enrollment numbers
• New Racial Equity Community of Practice
• Supporting Postpartum Mental Health 
• State updates: AK, AR, CO, MA, ME, MI, MN, MT, NC, ND, NM, NY, OR & WI

• Mapping Health Equity
• State Strategies to Increase Medicaid Renewals
• Promoting Equitable Healthcare Through Community-Led Initiatives
• Medicaid to Address Health-Related Social Needs
• New Maternal Health Grants for States 
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, DE, IN, MA, MI, NC, ND, NJ, NM, PA, SC & WI

• Opportunities to Advance Equitable Maternal Care
• New Translated Communications Resources 
• Upcoming SHVS Webinar – Save the Date! 
• Transforming Maternal Health 
• Annual Medicaid Managed Care Organization Survey
• Consumer-Centric Approach to State-Based Marketplaces
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, MD, MN, MT, NC, NM, NV, NY, OR & PA

• New SHVS tools for health equity 
• Expanding Coverage to Non-Citizen Populations
• Upcoming SHVS Webinar – Save the Date! 
• Approaches for Collecting Health Equity Data in Massachusetts
• Updated State Medicaid and CHIP Telehealth Toolkit
• High-Cost Drugs and the Medicaid Program
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, CT, HI, MN, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OR, WA & WI

• Assisting States During the Unwinding 
• Evaluating Waiver Flexibilities for Medicaid Renewals
• Massachusetts Hospitals’ Historic Health Equity Commitment
• Medicaid Non-Emergency Transportation
• Contracting to Align Health and Social Care Ecosystems
• Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model
• State updates: CA, DC, IL, MA, MN, MO, ND, NE, NJ, OK, OR, PA & WI

• Historic levels of Marketplace Enrollment
• Disability Data Collection Standards  
• Easing the burden of Medical Debt
• CMS: Funding for School-Based Health Services 
• Executive Actions to Promote Safe Storage of Firearms
• State updates: FL, MA, MI, MT, NC, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI & WI

• New unwinding communications resources
• SHVS Unwinding Resources
• Emerging Approaches in Oral Healthcare
• Consent Management Processes for Implementation of Data Exchange
• New CMS Model to Advance Integration in Behavioral Health
• State updates: CA, CO, ME, MT, NC, NJ, OR, PA, TX, WA, WI & WV

• Record-breaking Marketplace enrollment
• Messages for States Following the Unwinding 
• Upcoming SHVS Webinar
• Government Shutdown Implications for Health Programs and Personnel 
• Using Lived Experience to Monitor the Medicaid Unwinding
• State updates: FL, KY, MI, NC, ND, NJ, NY & PA

• New SHVS Unwinding Resources 
• New Initiatives to Support Individuals During Open Enrollment 
• Cost-Growth Benchmarks Can Make Healthcare More Affordable and Equitable
• Medicaid Health-Related Social Needs Learning Series
• Emerging Leaders of Color Fellowship
• State updates: DC, FL, ID, MS, NC, ND, NJ, NM, NY, OR, PA, WA, WI & WV

• Proposed Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters
• New Unwinding Data From CMS
• CMS resource on Transitional Medical Assistance
• 2023 Annual Medicaid MCO Survey
• Improving Data Sharing in Medicaid & CHIP Programs
• State updates: AL, AZ, CA, CO, LA, MA, MD, MI, NC, NH, NM, NV, NY, OR, TN & VA

New unwinding resources
State updates: AR, AZ, CA, ID, KS, MD, MI, MO, NC, NE, NM, NY, OR, PA, SD & WY
Strategies for reducing clinician burnout
Impacts of medical debt

• Improved Tools to Support States During Open Enrollment 
• Medicaid and CHIP Data
• Improved Tools to Support States During Open Enrollment 
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, KS, MA, ME, MN, NE, NJ, NY, OR, VA & WI

• New Unwinding Resources
• FAQs Concerning Termination of Coverage for Children
• What’s New for 2024 Marketplace Enrollment
• Leveraging Race and Ethnicity Data to Advance Health Equity
• Data on Residential Redlining
• State updates: CA, CO, GA, HI, IL, LA, MD, MT, NC, NE, NJ, PA, VA, WA & WV

• Communicating Enrollee Reinstatement Notice Language
• Open Enrollment: Social Media Messages
• New Jersey's budget to Address Medical Debt
• Continuous enrollment for children
• Infant and early childhood mental health
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, FL, IA, KY, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NM, NY, OR, SC & WA

• New States are Providing Coverage Transition Data
• Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Data Collection: Best Practices
• Aligning policies with birthing people’s preferences
• Investing in social determinants of health
• Leveraging Medicaid to Improve the Healthcare Delivered to American Indians and Alaska Natives
• State updates: AZ, CO, IA, MN, NC, NE, NJ, PA & VA

• New CMS Unwinding Data
• State Guidance on Continuous Eligibility for Children
• Leveraging Multi-Payer Aligned Measure sets
• Webinar on AHEAD model
• State updates: CA, CT, HI, IA, IL, MA, MD, MI, NC, NV, OK, WA & WV

In Last Week's Update:
• Ex Parte at the Individual Level
• State Strategies to Preserve Coverage
• New Mothers' Coverage During the Public Health Emergency
• Differences in Language Access Across State-Based Marketplaces
• Financing Substance-Use Care Treatment and Support Services 
• State Updates: CA, CT, DE, MI, NC, ND, NJ, NM, NV, RI & VT

• Health Insurance Coverage Data in 2022
• Navigating Data Challenges to Keep Eligible People on Medicaid
• Opportunities for States to Lower Drug Costs Across Payers
• State updates: AZ, CT, DC, ID, IN, ME, MN, OR, PA, VT & WA

• CMS All-Hands-On-Deck Strategy to Support Children and Families
• CMS Announces Model to Redesign Healthcare Delivery and Improve Equitable Access
• Protecting Consumers from Medical Debt
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, GA, IL, MO, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OK, OR, PA, TN, VA, WI & WV

In This Week’s Update:
• CMS Guidance on Conducting Eligibility Redeterminations
• SHVS Resources: Improving Ex Parte Processes

In This Week’s Update:
• Tracking Health Coverage During the Unwinding
• CMS Issues Guidance on Medicaid and CHIP Services in School-Based Settings
• Medicaid’s Role in Small Towns and Rural Areas
• State Agency Partners Navigating the Unwinding
• Eligibility and Enrollment Performance Indicator Unwinding Data
• Section 1332 Waiver Application Process
• Early Rate Filings Show Premium Increases
• State updates: AZ, CT, DE, MA, MD, MI, MN, NY, OR, RI & WY

In This Week’s Update:
• Call Center Strategies to Support Unwinding
• State-Based Marketplace Transition Data During Unwinding
• Surveys to Monitor Coverage Transitions During the Unwinding
• Increasing Access, Quality, and Equity in Postpartum Care in Medicaid and CHIP
• Promising Strategies to Help Medicaid Enrollees Retain Insurance Coverage
• State updates: AR, AZ, KY, MA, MI, MN, NC, NJ, PA, RI, UT, WA, WI & WY

• Mental health parity proposed rules
• State updates: CA, CO, CT, DC, GA, IL, NC, NH, NJ, NV, NY, PA & WI
• Medicaid is 58 years old!
• How managed care is supporting unwinding

In This Week’s Update:
• Medicaid Renewal Mitigation Strategies
• Promoting Equity in Mental Healthcare
• State Unwinding Renewal Data
• The One Year Anniversary of 988
• Preventing Intimate Partner Violence
• State updates: AK, CA, CO, CT, IA, KY, MD, MI, MN, MS, NJ, WA, WI & WY

In This Week’s Update:
• State Reporting to Monitor Unwinding
• Limiting Junk Insurance
• Value-Based Payment for Prescription Drugs
• Behavioral Health Services in Rural Communities
• State updates: AR, AZ, ME, MN, MO, NC, NJ, NY & OR

In This Week’s Update:
• New States of Unwinding
• Early childhood mental health services
• Scorecard on state health system performance
• State updates: CA, FL, IL, KY, MA, MT, ND, NM, NV, OR, SC, TX & WI

In This Week’s Update:
• HHS letter to governors on Medicaid redeterminations
• SHVS’ State Health Equity Measure Set
• CMS’ National Health Expenditure Projections
• KFF Report on Consumer Experiences in Health Insurance
• NAMD’s Perspective on Unwinding
• State updates: AR, HI, IN, KS, KY, MD, ND, NH, NM, NY, SC & WI

In This Week’s Update:
· SHVS Updated Expert Perspective
· Marketplace Network Adequacy and Usability
· Enhancing Access to Medicaid Family Planning Program Services
· Adults Who Did Not Take Medication as Prescribed to Reduce Costs
· State updates: CA, CO, CT, ID, IL, MA, MD, ME, ND, NJ, NY, SC, SD, TX & UT

In This Week’s Update:
• Enrollee’s Experiences With The Unwinding
• Medicaid can improve maternal health
• Pharmacy Availability of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, GA, IL, ME, MA, MT, NY, SC, WA, WI

In This Week's Update:
• Demonstration Facilitation Toolkit
• Congressional Budget Office Insurance Coverage Projections for 2023 to 2033
• Medicaid Leadership institute, Class of 2024
• State updates: AZ, IA, KY, MA, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NM, OR, PA & RI  

In This Week’s Update:
• States of Unwinding
• HHS’ New Website Launch
• Milbank Leadership Programs
• Access to Maternity Providers: Midwives and Birth Centers
• Adults Forgo Healthcare Because of Transportation Barriers
• State updates: CA, CO, GA, MD, MN, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OR, PA & WA

In This Week’s Update:
• Supporting Reentry for Justice-Involved Populations
• ACA’s Preventive Services Requirement
• Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters
• Final 2024 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters
• Attempts to Scam Medicaid Members Popping up Nationwide as Unwinding Commences
• Protect Medicaid 2023
• State updates: CO, DC, IA, IL, KY, ME, MI, MN, ND, NE, NM, NY, OR, RI, UT, WA & WV

In This Week’s Update:
• Health Coverage for DACA Recipients
• Termination of the National Emergency Declaration
• Sustainable Financing Strategies to Support Community Investments by Health Plans and Hospitals
• Crossing the Bridge to the Marketplace
• Medicaid Stability is Critical to Nation’s Continuum of Health Insurance Options
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, DE, ID, IL, KY, MA, MI, NJ, NM, NY & PA

In This Week’s Update:
• Promoting Equity in Medicaid Managed Care
• Coverage of Preventive Services Without Cost-Sharing in Jeopardy
• HHS Reminds States of Civil Rights Obligations During Unwinding
• Black-White Disparities in Maternal Vulnerability and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes
• State updates: CA, ID, MD, MI, MN, MT, NH, NJ, NM, NY, SC, TX, VT & WA

In This Week’s Update:
• Decision in ACA Preventive Services Case
• The Expanding Role of Medicaid in the Criminal-Legal System
• Resources to Support State Implementation of Renewal Mitigation Strategies
• Maryland’s Total Cost of Care Model
• State updates: AK, CT, FL, KY, MA, MI, NC, NJ, NV & NY

In This Week’s Update:
• Happy Birthday ACA!
• New Resource to Advance Maternal Health Equity
• Inequities in Health Insurance Coverage and Access
• Creating Health System Accountability through Community Partnerships
• Preventive Services Use Among People With Private Insurance
• State updates: AZ, CA, CO, CT, KS, KY, LA, MD, NM, OK & RI

In This Week’s Update:
• New SHVS Unwinding Resources
• Maternal Mortality Data
• Most Adults with Past-Due Medical Debt Owe Money to Hospitals
• Opportunities to Support Early Literacy Promotion in Pediatric Primary Care
• Oregon Health Authority’s Healthcare Market Oversight Program
• State updates: DC, IL, KS, ME, MN, MS, NC, OR & RI

In This Week’s Update:
• Princeton Pulse Podcast
• Maintaining Access to Services After Transitioning from Medicaid
• What the Growing Medicaid Undercount Means for Data Users and Policymakers
• Accelerating Progress Toward Healthcare Equity
• Accelerating Progress Toward Healthcare Equity
• State updates: CA, CO, DE, IL, KS, MA, NC, NE, NY, OH, WI, WV & WY

In This Week’s Update:
• State-by-State Unwinding Dates
• Medicaid Enrollment Growth: Who May Be at Risk
• O’Neil Institute Healthcare Litigation Tracker
• Unwinding Home and Community-Based Services PHE Flexibilities
• State updates: IA, IL, MA, MN, NC, NV, NY, PA, SC & VA

In This Week’s Update:
• How SBMs and DOIs can prepare for unwinding
• SHVS on FCC Ruling
• Navigating Medicaid Unwinding Transitions to Private Health Insurance
• State updates: AL, CA, IA, ID, IL, MI, NJ, NV, OK & OR

In This Week’s Update:
· Executive Order Promotes Community Engagement
· Strategies to Connect Children of Undocumented Status to Coverage
· Q&A: Actuarial Analysis of a Medicaid Palliative Care Benefit
· Catalog of Value-Based Initiatives for Rural Providers
· State updates: AK, CA, CO, FL, GA, IA, IL, MI, MT, NC, NY, RI, SC, TN, UT, VT & WA

In This Week’s Update:
• SHVS on Medicaid Unwinding
• Medi-Cal Section 1115 demonstration
• CMS’s 2020 Rule on Medicaid ‘Continuous Coverage’ Is Blocked as to Additional Dual-Eligible Enrollees
• Remaining States Should Expand Medicaid to Maximize Coverage and Protect Against Funding Drop
• Is Carve-In Financing of Medicaid Behavioral Health Services Better than Carve-Out?
• State updates: AK, AZ, CA, CO, CT, KY, NC, ND, NV, NY, OK, OR, PA, VT, WA & WI

In This Week’s Update:
• CMS Releases New Unwinding Guidance
• New SHVS Publications: Operationalizing Community Engagement
• New SHVS Unwinding Communications Resource Available: Video Message with Your State’s Branding
• Biden Administration Proposes New Rules to Expand Access to Birth Control Coverage Under the ACA
• State updates: CA, KS, MA, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NH, NJ, OH & WI

In This Week’s Update:
• Text Messaging Flexibility to Support Unwinding
• Section 1115 Demonstrations
• Can Employer-Sponsored Insurance Be Saved? A Review of Policy Options: Price Regulation
• State Medicaid Innovations to Support Home Visiting Services
• Strengthening Marketplace Network Rules for Essential Community Providers
• State updates: AL, CA, CO, IL, KS, MD, MI, ND, NM, NV, NY, OH, VA, WA, WI & WY

In This Week’s Update:
• New “In Lieu Of” Services Guidance
• A Playbook for Implementing a State Cost Growth Target
• Millions of Uninsured People Can Get Free ACA Plans
• How Sharing Data Builds More Efficient and Effective Benefits Systems
• State updates: AZ, CA, DC, GA, KS, LA, MA, MN, ND, NE, NJ, NY, RI & WA

In This Week’s Update:
• 2024 NBPP
• New Urban Institute Report Estimates Impact of PHE Expiration 
• State and Local Estimates of the Uninsured Population in the U.S. Using the Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey
• Discussion with Medicaid Innovators
• State updates: CA, CO, MD, NC, NH, NM, NV & WA

In This Week’s Update:
• Unwinding Deadline Request
• SHVS Resource Page
• Developing a Payment and Spending Strategy to Advance Health Equity: Checklist for Medicaid Decision-Makers
• 2022 March of Dimes Report Card
• Comparing Federal Government Surveys that Count the Uninsured: 2022
• State updates: AL, CA, CO, DC, IA, MN, NJ, NC, OK, OR, TX, VA & WI

In This Week’s Update:
• New SHVS State Spotlight Series
• Continuity of Coverage Expert Perspective
• Improving Data to Advance Health Equity Solutions
• Equity Changemakers Institute
• Rural Health Equity Toolkit
• State updates: AR, CA, CO, MN, NY, PA, SC, SD & WI

In This Week’s Update:
• OEP Kicks Off
• CMS Final Rule
• State-Based Strategies for Boosting Health Plan Enrollment
• The Institute for Medicaid Innovation 2022 Medicaid Managed Care Organization Survey
• Social Determinants of Health for Infants and Toddlers
• State updates: AL, AR, AZ, CA, IL, MI, MS, NJ, OR & SD

In This Week’s Update:
• PHE Renewed
• “Family Glitch” Rule
• Screening for Social Needs in Healthcare Settings
• Families USA Launches New Center to Lower Costs
• Strengthening Oral Health in the U.S.
• State updates: AK, AZ, CA, KS, MD, MI, MN, NM, OR, VA, WI, & WV

•PHE Likely to be Extended
•Advancing Health Equity Learning Collaborative
•A Community-Centered Approach to Data Sharing and Policy Change: Lessons for Advancing Health Equity
•Optional Medicaid Health Home Benefit
•State updates: AZ, CA, CO, GU, HI, IL, MA, MD, MN & OH

In This Week’s Update

• New SHVS Resource on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity 
• Recent Efforts to Extend Medicaid Postpartum Coverage
• Medicaid/CHIP Continuous Eligibility for Kids
• Strategies for Growing the Direct Care Workforce
• State Updates: AK, AZ, CA, IL, KS, NC, NY, TX & WI

In This Week’s Update:

• New SHVS Resources for States
• State Updates: CT, FL, IL, MA, MI, MN, MT, NH, NJ & UT
• Medicaid Churn Toolkit
• Racism and the COVID-19 Vaccine
• Minimizing Losses in Postpartum Coverage Post PHE

In This Week’s Update:

• New SHVS Resources: Equity in Managed Care and Increasing Response Rates among Underrepresented Groups
• State Updates: AZ, CA, CO, KS, LA, ME, NM, OH, OK, OR & TX
• Strategic Vision for the CMS
• Incorporating Equity into Trauma-Informed Care
• State Strategies to Increase COVID-19 vaccines in rural areas 

In This Week’s Update:

• CMS Repeals 2019 Public Charge Determination
• HHS Renews Public Health Emergency
• State Updates: CA, LA, ME, MD, MO, NC, OR & WI
• Leveraging Community Expertise to Advance Health Equity
• The Case for the Accountable Health Communities Model
• Medicaid Policy Options for CYSHCN Post-COVID-19

In This Week’s Update:

• New SHVS expert perspectives   
State updates: MD, MT, ND, NH, NY, OK, OH, WA & WI
• Lessons From Early Rate Filings   
• Advancing Medicare and Medicaid Integration
• Medicare Coverage Gap Fact Sheet

In This Week’s Update:

• “Month of Action” to vaccinate 70% of Americans 
• New resources on COVID-19 vaccine distribution
• State updates: AZ, CO, GA, LA, MN, NE, NJ, NM, NY, PA, TX, & WA
• Event: New State Option for Community-Based Mobile Crisis Interventions 
• Apply for Medicaid Leadership Institute
• Telehealth and equity

• SHVS Resources On Collecting Race, Ethnicity, and Language Data
• Treasury Clarifies Use For COVID-19 Relief Funds  
• State updates: AL, AZ, CA, CO, FL, KS, MA, MD, MN, NC, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OK, PA, TX, VA, WA, & WI
• Upcoming Webinar On Improved Behavior Health Crisis Resources
• Health Equity From A Medicaid Medical Director’s View
• Estimating And Examining The Cost Of Postpartum Coverage Expansion

• New CDC Guidance on Masks
• CMS Enhances Home and Community-Based Care
• HHS Interprets Section 1557 to Include LGBTQ Americans
• State Updates: CA, MI, MO, NC, NJ, OH, OR, VA & WI
• Implementing Primary Care VBP Through Medicaid Managed Care
• COVID-19 Vaccines Experiences Among Hispanic Adults  
• Analyzing COVID-19’s Effect on Young Mental Health

• American Families Plan
• Public Option Proposals
• Final 2022 NBPP Rule
• American Rescue Plan Analysis
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, KS, PA, WV
• Other State Updates: AK, AZ, ME, NM, NV, NY, VA
• New Medicaid Leadership Training Opportunity
• Principles for Antiracist, Equitable Response to COVID-19
Case Study: Washington’s Individual Market

• Navigator Grants and 2021 OEP Numbers
• American Rescue Plan: Postpartum Coverage and Tax Credits
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, NC, ND, NE, NJ, WI
• Other State Updates: GA, KS, MO, NM, OH, TN, TX
• ARP Funding for States and Localities
• Supporting Young Children Post-COVID-19
• Health and Housing Institute for States

• CMS Administrator Hearing
• Black Maternal Health Week Announcement
• Resources on American Rescue Plan Act
• COVID-19 State Updates: AZ, KS, MA, NJ, WI
• Other State Updates: CA, DC, IL, MA, MD, MN, NE, NJ, OK, PA, WI
• Expanding Affordable Coverage Options
• Health Care Pricing Transparency
• Building Healthier Communities Together Town Hall

• President Biden’s FY 2022 Funding Request
• New Marketplace Enrollment
• CDC Racism and Health Website
• COVID-19 State Updates: FL, MN, VA, WI
• Other State Updates: CA, CO, IL, MA, NM, OH, VA, WA
• The No Surprises Act and State Balance Billing Protections
• Federal Relief Funding for Kids During and Beyond COVID-19
• Moving to Value-based Care post-COVID-19

• ARPA Funding for HCBS
• HHS Measures to Encourage Vaccinations
• Special Enrollment Period
• COVID-19 State Updates: MA, MN, NE, NJ, NY, OR, WA, WI
• Other State Updates: AL, AZ, DE, NE, NJ, OR, VA
• Connecting Patients with Social Services
• Reducing Disparities in COVID-19 Vaccinations
• Health Equity Toolkit for Decisionmakers

• New SHVS Resources on the American Rescue Plan
• ACA Anniversary
• Expanding COVID-19 Vaccine Access
• COVID-19 State Updates: MA, MI, NC, NY, OR, RI, WI
• Other State Updates: AK, CO, DE, MD, ME, MN, MT, HI, MN, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OR, PA, RI, WI
• Webinars on the American Rescue Plan
• Enrollment in Nongroup Health Insurance by Income Group
• OEP Experiences in NJ and PA

• HHS Secretary Sworn In 
• Biden Administration Moves To Address COVID-19 Disparities 
• COVID-19 Vaccines and Emerging Viral Variants 
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, CO, DC, DE, MD, MA, NJ, NY, NC, PA 
• Other State Updates: NJ, NC, OK, UT
• Lessons From State Balance Billing Laws 
• State, County, and Local Estimates Of The Uninsured Population

• American Rescue Plan Signed
• Public Charge Rule Update
• COVID-19 State Updates: AK, CO, DC, LA, ME, MN, NC, PA, RI, WI
• Other State Updates: CT, MN, NY, OR
• Webinar on American Rescue Plan
• Updated Health Insurance Marketplace Calculator
• Medicaid Demonstrations and Impacts on Health Coverage

• Medicaid Enrollment Update
• State Marketplace Insurance Subsidy Considerations
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, CO, CT, KS, LA, MA, MD, MN, NC, NJ, NY, WI
• Other State Updates: NC, NJ, PA
• Addressing COVID-19 Vaccine Concerns
• Building Effective Partnerships with Communities
• A Year of COVID-19 in Rural America

• New SHVS Resources
• COVID-19 State Updates: AK, AZ, MN, NC, OR, UT, WV, WI
• Other State Updates: DE, MN, NJ
• Medicaid’s Role in Behavioral Health
• Medicaid Expansion and Children
• COVID-19 State LTSS Resource Guide

• New CMS Administrator Announced
• Toolkit for Managing Medicaid Costs
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, ID, KS, NC, NJ, NY, PA
• Other State Updates: AL, AZ, NV, OK
• Webinar: Health Disparities in Medicaid Managed Care
• Equitable Vaccination Campaigns
• Strategies for Buying Health

• COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force Additions
• SHVS Resources
• COVID-19 State Updates: CT, MN, NC, OR, VT, WI
• Other State Updates: CA, KS, NJ, OR, PA
• Webinar: Analyzing Health Disparities in Medicaid Managed Care
• Awareness of Coverage Options for Uninsured Adults
• Payment Reform and SDOH
• Screening for Social Needs in Pediatrics

• COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
• Communications Tactics for State-based Marketplaces
• COVID-19 State Updates: AL, DC, MA, MN, NC, NJ, NV, OR, PA, RI, UT
• Other State Updates: AK, AZ, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OR, PA, WI
• New Executive Orders and Public Charge
• Medicaid Outreach Partnership
• Coverage for Pregnant and Postpartum Women

• New Executive Order on Medicaid and the ACA
• New SHVS Publications
• COVID-19 Updates: CA, NC, UT, WI
• Other State Updates: AL, AZ, CO, DE, FL, KY, NJ, PA, TX
• Attitudes & Values Around Health and Race Amid COVID-19
• SBM Experiences with 2020 COVID-19 SEPs
• Implementing Pharmacist Contraceptive Prescribing

• New Administration’s Health Care Actions
• Public Health Programming Resumes Following COVID-19
• State Updates: CA, DC, MA, MN, NY, NC, WA
• Other State Updates: CO, MN, NC, PA
• The ACA in Maryland
• Leveraging Value-Based Payment Approaches to Promote Health Equity
• Tracking State Allocations of Vaccines

• Final 2022 NBPP Rule
• No Surprises Act
• COVID-19 State Updates: MI, NC, WA, WI
• Other State Updates: AZ, CO, NJ, OR, OH, PA, TX
• Advancing Equity in the Nation’s COVID-19 Public Health Response and Recovery Efforts: Options for a New Administration
• Immigrant Access to COVID-19 Vaccines: Key Issues to Consider

• Extension of PHE
• SHVS Publishes Two New Expert Perspectives
• COVID-19 State Updates: AZ, CA, KS, MD, MA, VA, WA
• Other State Updates: CO, DE, MN, NC, OK, TN, WA
• Medicaid Managed Care Organization Investments in Affordable Housing
• SIREN Conversation Series
• Primary Care and Health Equity

The ten most popular State Network resources of 2020.

• New CMS Model on Dual-eligibles
• Webinar: Supporting Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs During COVID-19
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, CT, MI, NC & OR
• Other State Updates: CO, MA, MI, MO, OH, OR & WA
• SCOTUS Medicaid Work Requirements Cases
• COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution: Legal Issues and Challenges
• Technology Opportunities for the ACA Marketplaces

• The CHART Model Explained
• COVID-19 State Updates: AK, AR, CA, MD, MN, NJ, NM, NY, OR & WI
• Other State Updates: AR, LA, PA, WI & WV
• Webinar: Supporting Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs During COVID-19
• Leveraging Title V and Medicaid for Social-Emotional Development
• Ensuring Value in Telehealth
• Rural Health in a COVID-19 World

• New SHVS Expert Perspectives
• COVID-19 State Updates: AZ, ME, OH, OR & PA
• Other State Updates: OK, TX & WI
• Webinar: Supporting Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs During COVID-19
• COVID-19 & State Medicaid Budgets
• Systemic Racism & Health Care, COVID-19 & Treatment
• Building Racial Equity Into The Walls Of Health Policy

• Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Health Equity
• Podcast Interview With Dr. Fauci
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, DC, MD, MN, NE, NY, PA, VA & WI
• Other State Updates: MN, OK, OR & WA
• U.S. Maternity Care Versus Other Developed Countries
• Health Care Workforce Policy Toolkit
• Lessons from RI in Increasing Childhood Vaccinations

• Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board
• CMS Managed Care Rule
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, MI, NC & WI
• Other State Updates: HI, IN, NC, OR, TN & WA
• 2020 Annual Medicaid Survey Results
• Family Engagement and Children’s Social and Emotional Development
• Medicaid Leadership Series Podcast

• The Election and Health Care
• COVID-19 State Updates: AZ, CA, CO, DE, NE, NC, NJ, PA & RI
• Other State Updates: GA, NE, OR, PA, VA & WA
• Webinar: Screening for Social Risk Factors Part II
• New Drug Death Data
• Health and Equity in Rural Places
• Children with Special Health Care Needs and COVID-19

• HHS’ COVID-19 Interim Final Rule
• New SHVS Resources
• COVID-19 State Updates: MI, NE, NJ, OR & VA
• Other State Updates: IN, MD, MN, NJ, NC, OR, PA, RI & WI
• Webinar: Screening for Social Risk Factors Part II
• Navigator Resource Guide
• Integrated Care for Dual-Eligibles During COVID-19
• Two-Part Webinar Series on Medicaid Managed Care

• New SHVS Health Equity Resource
• COVID-19 Expert Perspectives
• COVID-19 State Updates: DE, MA, NC, NJ, PA, WA & WI
• Other State Updates: CA, NE, OK, PA, WA & WI
• Webinar: Changes in the Coverage Environment During COVID-19
• Webinar: Driving Reductions in Health Care Disparities
• Supreme Court Vacancy and the ACA
• COVID-19 Social Care Playbook

• New SHVS Resources on Screening for Social Risk Factors
• COVID-19 and Medicaid Flexibilities
• COVID-19 State Updates: CT, KY, MI & NC
• Other State Updates: CO, DE, GA, MN & NJ
• Webinar: Screening for Social Risk Factors
• Webinar: Changes in the Coverage Environment During COVID-19
• FY 2021 Medicaid Enrollment & Spending
• Learning and Action on Policy and Partnerships

• Renewal of Public Health Emergency
• Tracking Medicaid Enrollment Growth
• COVID-19 State Updates: MA, NC & VA
• Other State Updates: AZ, CA, CO, CT, KY, NC, NM, OH, PA & VA
• Children’s Uninsured Rates on the Rise
• New Mothers’ Access to Health Care
• Theme Issue on Drivers of Health

• Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccine
• SHVS Brief on Medicaid Data
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, NC, VA & WI
• Other State Updates: CA, CO, DC, MN, NE & PA
• SHVS Webinar: Quality and Equity Measures
• Utility Services and Health Equity
• Public Sector Leadership Resources

• Service Use Among Medicaid & CHIP Beneficiaries Age 18 and Under During COVID-19
• What the Supreme Court Vacancy Could Mean for the ACA
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, DC, DE, MD, NY, NC, PA, VA
• Other State Updates: CO, DE, OK, PA, WA, WI
• Webinar: Buying Value: Measures that Matter for Quality and Equity
• Issues to Watch for When Medicaid Maintenance of Eligibility Requirements End
• Potential Fiscal Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medicaid and Early Childhood Services
• New Subsidized Marketplace Data Available from the 2019 American Community Survey


 

• New SHVS COVID-19 Resources
• CMS Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Rule
• COVID-19 State Updates: AZ, MN, NC, NY, OR & WA
• Other State Updates: CA, MD, NJ, OR & WI
• New SHVS Webinar: Measures for Quality and Equity
• The Role of Racial Justice in Building a Culture of Health
• Toolkit: Improving Care for Complex Care Populations

• Essential Health Benefit Benchmark Plans
• COVID-19 State Updates: AK, CA, DC, KY, MD, MN, NC, OH, OR & WA
• Other State Updates: MN, NJ & TX
• 2019 Health Insurance Coverage Estimates
• Scorecard on State Health System Performance

• FEMA Disaster Relief Fund Grants and Eligibility Determinations
• CDC Order on Residential Evictions
• SHVS Expert Perspective on Open Enrollment
• COVID-19 State Updates: AZ, DC, NC & WI
• Other State Updates: AZ, CA, MI, OK, OR & WI
• COVID-19 Recession's Effects on Health Insurance Coverage
• Medicaid’s Role in Addressing Racial Health Disparities
• State Practices for Contracting with Managed Care Organizations

• Updated Tools for Supporting Essential Providers During COVID-19
• COVID-19 State Updates: CO, MA, MN, NC, NV, OR, VA & WA
• Other State Updates: DE, NE, NH, NJ, PA & VA
• Supporting Community Health Workers/Promotores
• Special Enrollment Periods: the FEMA SEP
• Racial Equity Throughout Data Integration

• Risk Adjustment Based on Social Factors
• Cost-sharing Reduction Payments and the ACA
• COVID-19 State Updates: NC, OR, PA, WA & WI
• Other State Updates: MN, NE, NH, OR & UT
• Federal Executive Orders on Economic Relief
• The "Bermuda Triangle" of COVID-19 Testing
• Racial Disparities in COVID-19

• New CMS Rural Health Model
• Expert Perspective on CMS Premium Rebate Guidance
• COVID-19 State Updates: AR, MD, NC, NJ, PA, RI, VA & WA
• Other State Updates: AK, NE, NY, OK & PA 
• New Strategies for Financing LTSS
• Lessons from OR for Engaging Consumers
• Maternal and Obstetric Care Challenges in Rural America

• Considerations for State Medicaid and CHIP Agencies As they Prepare to Unwind Eligibility and Enrollment Flexibilities Obtained During
the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
• COVID-19 State Updates: AZ, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, TX, & VA
• Other State Updates: CA, ME, MI, MO, & NH
• Emergency Special Enrollment Period Would Boost Health Coverage Access at a Critical Time
• Introducing the Social Determinants of Health in Rural Communities Toolkit
• COVID-19: A Catalyst for Integrating Youth Behavioral Health Care Across Settings

• Updated Toolkit: Unwinding Federal Medicaid Flexibilities
• State Budgets and Health Programs in Response to COVID-19
• COVID-19 State Updates: AZ, CA, MA, MD, ME & NJ
• Other State Updates: CO, HI, MN, NJ, NV, OR, PA & VA
• Ensuring Safe Access to Necessary Care
• Changes in Coverage Due to COVID-19

• Public Health Emergency Renewal
• COVID-19 State Updates: ME, MN, MT, NC, OR & WA
• Other State Updates: DC, OK, OR & WI
• Fiscal Effect of Temporary Increase in Medicaid FMAP
• Effect of State Budget Crises on Medicaid
• State Programs to Support Children During COVID-19

• New SHVS COVID-19 Resources
• CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Deadline
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, CO, DE, IA, ME, NE, NJ, NY, RI & WI
• Other State Updates: MA, MN & OR
• Webinar on Open Enrollment Period 2021
• COVID-19 and the Effect on Health Insurance
• Supporting Individuals with Complex Care Needs in COVID-19

• Protecting Farmworkers During COVID-19
• COVID-19 State Updates: MD, NE, NC & OR
• Other State Updates: LA, NC, OR, VA, WA & WI
• Webinar: COVID-19 and Open Enrollment
• Updates to Buying Value Measure Selection Tool
• 2021 Health Care Cost Model
• Lowering Infant Mortality in Alabama

• New SHVS Expert Perspective
• Data and Equitable Policy During COVID-19
• COVID-19 State Updates: DE, OR & VA
• Other State Updates: AZ, GA, MN, NE & OK
• Webinar: Ensuring Access to LTSS During COVID-19
• JHPPL Special Edition on ACA 10th Anniversary
• Key Considerations for Governors to Scale the COVID-19 Contact Tracing Workforce

• New SHVS COVID-19 Resources
• COVID-19 State Updates: AZ, CA, GA, MA, MN, NC, NE, NV, OR, PA, WA & WI
• Other State Updates: LA, NJ, NM, WA & WI
• Medicaid Insurers Participation in Marketplaces
• Maryland Primary Care Program
• Adapting Outpatient Visits During COVID-19

• Resources on Health Equity
• COVID-19 State Updates: GA, MD, OR, PA & WI
• Other State Updates: CA, CO, KY, OR & WV
• Targeted Testing to Advance Health Equity
• SDOH Data-sharing and the Law
• Facilitating Medicaid Enrollment During COVID-19

• HHS Announces New Release of Provider Relief Funds
• Webinar: Rethinking Telehealth After the COVID-19 Surge
• COVID-19 State Updates: CO, MA, MD, ME, NY, PA, RI, UT, VA & WI 
• Other State Updates: AZ, CO, KS & MD
• Medicaid May Shape Marketplace Entry of Insurers
• Electronic Consultations: A Win for Patients, Clinicians, and Payers
• Addressing Child Poverty after COVID-19

• SHVS Resources on Health Equity
• COVID-19 State Updates: ME, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OR & WA
• Other State Updates: CO, DE, HI, KY, ME & WA
• Structural Racism and Root Causes of Health Inequities
• Leveraging Federal and State Authorities to Ensure Access to LTSS
• Resources for Medicaid Directors

• COVID-19 and the Fee-for-service Payment Model
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, CO, MA, NJ, NV, RI, VA, WA & WI
• Other State Updates: IN, NE, OK & OR
• Health Equity Principles for COVID-19
• Practices and Resources for Quarantine Hotels
• New Report Suggests Surge in Medicaid Enrollment

• SHVS Webinar on Medicaid IT Investments
• Other SHVS Publications on COVID-19
• State Updates: AZ, MD, MI, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, RI, WA, WI & WV
• A Cross-Sector Response to Health Disparities in COVID-19
• Quick Takes for Medicaid Leaders Amid COVID-19
• Principles for an Equitable State Response to COVID-19

• SHVS Webinar on Coverage Churn
• New CMS Guidance
• State Updates: AZ, CO, LA, MD, ME, MN, NJ, NY, PA, VA, WA & WV
• New SHVS Webinar on Medicaid IT & COVID-19
• Overlap Plans as Low-cost Option
• Estimate of Loss of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Coverage
• Supports for Managed Care and Provider Networks

• SHVS Resources on Health Equity and COVID-19
• State Updates: AZ, CO, DE, LA, ME, MI, NC, NE, NM, NY, OH, OR, TX & WV
• Webinar: COVID-19 and Coverage Options
• Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Hispanic Adults
• COVID-19 Recession and Health Insurance Coverage
• Maternal Health and COVID-19
• Rural Health and COVID-19

• SHVS COVID-19 Webinars
• Additional SHVS Resources
• State Updates: AZ, CA, CO, MA, NH, NJ, PA, RI, VA, & WA
• New SHVS Webinar: Health Equity & COVID-19
• Webinar: Preparing for the Post-COVID-19 World
• Surprise Billing and COVID-19 Treatment

• New SHVS COVID-19 Resources
• State Updates: COVID-19 State Updates: CA, CT, DE, IL, IN, KY, MA, MD, MI, MN, MT, NC, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OR, PA, RI, VA, VT, WA, WI
• Other State Updates: MN
• New SHVS Webinar: COVID-19 & Medicaid Managed Care Performance
• Coordinating Care for Incarcerated During COVID-19
• Supporting Out-of-Hospital Births to Protect Moms and Babies and Reduce Hospital Strain

• Additions to SHVS COVID-19 Resource Page
• Federal Funding Opportunities
• COVID-19 State Updates: AZ, MA, ME, MI, MN, NJ, OR, TX, WA
• Other State Updates: LA, TN
• Impact on Access to Care and Economic Opportunities for Communities of Color
• Blueprint from Washington State to Respond to COVID-19
• Stemming the Risk of Disability Bias During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Additions to SHVS COVID-19 Resource Page
• New CMS Rules and Guidance
• SAMHSA Emergency Grant
• COVID-19 State Updates: ID, MA, MD, MN, MT, NJ, NY, WA, WI
• Other State Updates: CA, NJ
• Eligibility for Coverage and COVID-19
• Impact on Access to Food for Older Adults
• COVID-19 Changes to HCBS Using Appendix K

• New SHVS Resource Page on COVID-19
• SHVS COVID-19 Webinar
• Affordable Care Act Anniversary
• COVID-19 State Updates: CA, CO, DE, FL, IA, IL, LA, MA, MD, ME, MN, MO, NC, NJ, NV, NY, OR, SC, TX, WA
• Other State Updates: NE, FL, SC
• Hospital Readiness for COVID-19
• Maternal and Infant Mortality in Medicaid

• SHVS Webinar on COVID-19
• ACA 10th Anniversary
• COVID-19 State Updates: DC, FL, MD, ME, MI, MN, NH, NJ, NM, NV, PA, RI, WA
• Other State Updates: ME, OK
• Protecting the Vulnerable During a Pandemic
• COVID-19 Crisis Communications Guide

• SHVS Expert Perspective on COVID-19
• CMS FAQ on COVID-19
• Future COVID-19 Updates
• COVID-19 State Updates: AZ, CA, CO, FL, MA, MI, NJ, NM, OR, WA
• Other State Updates: CO, OK, OR
• Webinar: Responding to COVID-19
• Webinar: Healthy Adult Opportunity Medicaid Demonstration
• Waiving Cost-sharing Requirements for COVID-19 Testing and Care
• SHVS Resources on Medicaid’s Role in Addressing Maternal Health

• States Respond to COVID-19
• Texas ACA Court Case
• State Updates: AZ, MD, MI, NM, OR & WA
• Webinar: Medicaid and Maternal Mortality
• New Learning Hub on Managed Care
• Fiscal Impact of Medicaid Capped Funding Demonstrations
• Discussing Racial Disparities

• Updated SHVS Resource Page on Public Charge
• State Updates: CO, MI, MO, NH, NJ, NY, RI & WA
• Webinar: Medicaid and Maternal Mortality
• Effects of Medicaid expansion in Michigan
• Creating Meaningful Consumer Engagement in Medicaid
• Addressing the Social Determinants of Health in Children and Families

• New SHVS Resource on Public Charge
• State Updates: CA, ID, NJ, NY, PA & RI
• New SHVS Webinar: Medicaid’s Role in Maternal Mortality
• Risks and Challenges of Adopting a State-Based Marketplace
• Successful Partnerships for Integrating Care
• Rural Hospital Closures

• SHVS Expert Perspective on Proposed 2021 NBPP
• ACS Data and Social Determinants of Health
• State Updates: GA, MD, MI, NY, OH, PA & VA
• CO and WA Governors Discuss Public Options
• Measuring the Impact of Trauma-Informed Primary Care
• Improving Social Needs Intervention Research

• SHVS Capped Medicaid Funding Resources
• ACA Open Enrollment
• State Updates: CA, CO, DE, DC, LA, NJ, TN & WV
• Evaluating SUD Waivers
• Mapping Childhood Opportunity
• Fast-tracking Medicaid Enrollment

• CMS Guidance on Capped Medicaid Funding
• Public Charge Rule Moving Forward
• State Updates: HI, IL, NC, NV, NY & OR
• 2021 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters
• Advancing the Health Sector’s Role in Housing
• Data on Maternal Mortality in the U.S.

• New SHVS Publication on Supportive Housing
• State Updates: AZ, CA, CO, CT, NJ & PA
• Variations in C-section Rates
• State of Babies 2019 Yearbook
• Examining Bundled Payments

• Proposed Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Rule
• State Updates: IL, KY, NH, NJ, OK, VA & WY
• New SHVS Publication on Supportive Housing
• Marketplace Premiums and Insurer Participation
• Medicaid Expansion and Opioid Overdose Mortality

• Final Weekly Enrollment Snapshot
• State Updates: ID, KS, ME, MI, NJ & WA
• How States Compare on Addressing Affordability
• Top Ten Health Insurance Policy Issues to Watch in 2020

• ID and UT Expand Medicaid
• State Updates: AK, CA, DE, MD, MN, NM, NV, & PA
• Building Partnerships with Families
• Convening a Consumer Advisory Board
• Guide to Becoming an Equity-focused Health Department

• Ruling in Texas v. Azar
• Health Policy in Federal Spending Bill
• Exchange Program Integrity Rule
• State Updates: CA, KY, MA, NE, NV, PA & VA
• Implementing a Statewide Health Care Cost Benchmark
• Interactive Childhood Obesity Data
• New Medicaid and CHIP Data Book Published

• Impact of Health Insurance Coverage on Mortality
• State Updates: CO, MI, NH, NY, PA, SC, VA & WA
• Rise of Uninsurance in Young Kids
• Medicaid MCOs as Agents of Payment Reform
• Top State Network Resources in 2019

• 2018 National Health Care Spending
• Catalyst for Payment Reform Virtual Summit
• State Updates: LA, ME, MI, MN, OR, PA, VT & VA
• CMS Beneficiary Engagement Toolkit
• Improving Care for Children in Foster Care

• New SHVS Expert Perspective on Standardized Plans
• State Updates: CO, CT, ID, NC, NJ, PA & WI
• Implementing ASAM Criteria for SUD Treatment
• Leveraging Medicaid MCOs in Payment Reform
• Evaluating Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver Demonstrations
• Stabilizing Individual Health Insurance Markets

• CMS Announces Price Transparency Rules
• State Updates: DE, ME, MN, NC, PA, RI, UT, WV, & WY
• SUD Toolkit for Medicaid Leaders
• Consumer Engagement Driving Change in Medicaid
• Impact of Medicaid Block Grants on Community Health Center Revenues

• CMS Releases T-MSIS Data
• Webinar: Standardized Designs Through State Marketplaces
• State Updates: CO, DC, GA, IN, ME, NJ, OH, PA & UT
• 2020 Marketplace Premium Changes by County
• Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Premature Deaths
• Practical Solutions for Serving Complex Populations

• Open Enrollment Began Last Week
• State Updates: CA, GA, ID, NY, OR, TN & TX
• Webinar: Standardizing Health Plan Benefit Design
• Updated Navigator Resource Guide
• Comparing Latest Estimates of Uninsured
• Addressing Rural Health Care Needs

• Public Charge Final Rule FAQ
• CMS Announces Average Premium Drop
• State Updates: AZ, CT, MA, NE, NJ, NY, OK, OR, PA & WA
• Webinar: Standardizing Health Plan Benefit Design
• County-level Look at Volatility of the Individual Market
• Provider Consolidation and Health Care Costs

• Immigration and Health Care Proclamation
• State Updates: CT, NC, NY, PA, TX, VA & WA
• Medicaid MCOs and Health Equity
• Standardizing Health Plan Benefit Design
• New Data on Adverse Childhood Experiences
• Results from 50-state Medicaid Budget Survey

• New SHVS Webinar on Standardized Plans
• State Updates: CO, DE, NJ, NM, NY, PA, & WI
• Medicaid MCOs and Health Equity Webinar
• Standardizing Health Plan Benefit Design in the Individual Market: Opportunities and Implications
• Report on Transitioning to a State-based Marketplace
• Call for Papers on ACA Implementation in the States

• Executive Order on Medicare
• HHS Wellness Project
• State Updates: CO, ID, NJ, NY, OH, OR, TN & UT
• Webinar: Medicaid MCOs and Health Equity
• Strengthening Medicaid’s Access to Care for CSHCN
• Politico Pulse Check Podcast: Adam Boehler
• Lessons from CDC’s 6|18 Initiative

• Health Equity Webinar Recap
• State Updates: CT, MD, ME, MI, PA, & WI
• New Coverage Data from Census Bureau
• Kentucky’s Medicaid Work Requirements
• Health-Care Led Jail Reentry Pilot

• CMS Planning Grant Awards for SUD
• State Updates: CO, DC, NJ, NY, NC, RI, PA, TN & WA
• Individual Marketplace Trends by County
• Behavioral Health Provider Participation in Medicaid Value-Based Payment Models
• New Resource on Surprise Medical Bills  

• SHVS Q&A on Medicaid Coverage for Justice-involved Populations
• Census Bureau Insurance Coverage Report
• State Updates: MI, MT, NV, WA, WV & WI
• New SHVS Health Equity Webinar
• Colorado Medicare Price Report
• Engaging Consumers in Care

• Public Charge Webinar Recap
• Funding to Combat the Opioid Epidemic
• State Updates: AZ, FL, HI, IL, OK & PA
• Addressing Health-related Social Needs
• Meaningful Hospital Community Investments
• Improving Rural Maternal Health Access

• Health Equity Webinar Recap
• Health Care Affordability Forum
• State Updates: FL, ID, ME, PA, RI & VA
• Public Charge Rule Webinar
• Drivers of Health Literature Review
• TennCare’s Episodes Payment Model

• Health and Human Services SUD Fact Sheet
• State Updates: AZ, CO, DE, GA, MT & NJ
• Webinar: Evidence-Based Strategies for Reducing Health Disparities
• Webinar: Final Public Charge Rule
• Access to OUD Treatments
• Working with CBOs

• Final Public Charge Rule Released
• State Updates: DE, LA, MN, NJ, NY, OR, & TX
• Webinar: Strategies to Reduce Health Disparities
• Webinar: Final Public Charge Rule Implications
• Trends in Employer-Sponsored Insurance
• State Opportunities to Support Family Caregivers
• Effects of Medicaid Expansion under ACA

• CMS Bulletin on ABP Benchmark Plans
• State Updates: DE, IL, KY, LA, MT, NE, NY, OR & WV
• Evidence-Based Strategies for Reducing Health Disparities
• Surprise Medical Bills: State Considerations
• State Trends in the Opioid Crisis
• Increasing Rural Health Department Capacity to Address SDOH

• Price Transparency Proposed Rule
• CMS Partial Medicaid Expansion Statement
• State Updates: CO, LA, MN, ND, NV, NH, UT, VA, WA & WY
• Medicaid Waivers with Housing Supports
• ROI Calculator for SDOH
• Pediatric Mental Health Care in the Emergency Department

• Federal Drug Pricing Efforts
• State Updates: AZ, CA, CO, IN, MI, MO, NH & TX
• Health Equity for Kids
• Non-emergency Medical Transportation

• CMS Releases 1332 Checklists and Templates
• CHIP Scorecard Update
• State Updates: DE, ID, NJ, NY, OR, RI & WV
• Coverage Parity for MH and SUD
• Webinar on Supportive Housing
• State-level Data on the Opioid Epidemic

• Affordable Care Act Litigation
• SHVS Managed Care Webinar
• State Updates: AZ, CA, DE, NH, NJ, OR, PA & RI
• Surprise Medical Billing
• Impact of Integrated Medicaid Managed Care
• Medicaid Pharmacy Programs

• CMS Funding Opportunity for SUD Treatment
• State Updates: LA, MA, ME, MT, NE, NJ, NY, & PA
• Individual Market Performance This Year
• Supporting Kids’ Social and Emotional Development
• RWJF Annual Message: Housing and Health

• New RWJF/Vox Medicaid Video Series
• SHVS Webinars
• Drivers of Health
• State Updates: DE, MD, MN, MT, NC, TX, & WA
• New Research on Work Requirements and Community Engagement
• Patient Engagement Strategies

• HRA rule
• MACPAC Report to Congress
• State Updates: DC, NJ, NV, NY, OH, SC & WA
• Precarious Work Schedules of Medicaid Beneficiaries
• Supporting Families with Young Children

• Telling the Stories of Medicaid
• New SHVS Publication: Measuring Health Disparities
• SHVS Buying Value Benchmark Repository
• State Updates: CO, DC, DE, ME, ND, NJ, OR, PA, TX, VA, & WI
• State Health Care Transformation with Federal Support
• Improving Dental Health for Rural Kids

• New CMS Podcast Episode, Funding Opportunity
• State Updates: AL, CA, CT, CO, FL, MD, MN, & NM
• New SHVS Webinar: Health Equity & Managed Care
• Work Requirements Targets Face Barriers
• Early Childhood Briefing Series
• Enhancing Access to Family Planning in Medicaid

• New Medicaid Podcast
• State Updates: CT, CO, MD, ME, MI, OR & WA
• Webinar - Connecting Justice-Involved Pop. to Medicaid
• Monitoring and Evaluating Work Requirements
• Medicaid Expansion and Maternal and Child Health
• Extending VBP Models Into Medicaid Drug Purchasing

• CMS Issues Guidance on Calculating Spread Pricing in Medicaid
• Department of Labor Issues Guidance on AHP Court Decision
• State Updates: MD, MT, NV, NH, NM, OR & WA
• Webinar: Strategies for Connecting Justice-Involved Populations to Medicaid
• Case Study: NY’s Surprise Billing Law
• Webinar: Addressing Transportation to Improve Community Health
• Behavioral Health Coverage in Medicaid Managed Care

• CDC Report on Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
• State Updates: AR, CA, IA, IN, NE, NJ, NY & WA
• Upcoming SHVS Webinar on Serving Justice-involved Populations
• Individual Insurance Market Performance in 2018
• States Protect Against Short-Term Health Plans
• Health Care’s Role in Social Interventions

• State Updates: AZ, CO, ME, MT, NC, NJ, TX & WA
• RFI for Section 1332 Waivers
• FAQs on Blueprint application process
• Trends and Disparities in Children’s Health Insurance
• Achieving Health Equity and Wellness for Medicaid Populations
• Galvanizing Nurses on Social Determinants

• New CMS Models for Dual Eligibles
• State Updates: AZ, CO, ME, MA, NJ, OR, RI & SD
• Upcoming Webinar on Trends and Disparities in Children’s Health Insurance
• Building the Business Case for Investment in Childhood Obesity Prevention
• How Consumers Shape Health Care Reform
• Health Impacts of Early Childhood Interventions

• Final 2020 Payment Notice
• State Updates: AZ, CA, CO, MD, NY, OR, WA, & WV
• State Medicaid Buy-Ins: Key Questions to Consider
• Upcoming Webinar on Children’s Coverage
• Impact of State-Level Policy, Operational Choices ACA Marketplace Performance
• Organizing Complex Care for Rural Populations: A Case Study of Three Montana Communities

• SDOH and Medicaid's Next Generation State Practices
• State Updates: HI, ID, KS, KY, MI, NJ, NM & ND
• Do Consumers Understand Short-Term Plans?
• Improving the Health and Well-Being of the Nation’s Aging Population
• Improving Care for Children with Health Complexity

• Reactions to Last Week’s Court Decisions
• DOL's AHP Rule FAQ
• State Updates: AZ, CO, FL, LA, ME, NE, NJ, & RI
• Webinar on Medicaid Buy-In
• Consumer-Focused Health System Transformation
• Webinar on the Integrated Care for Kids Model
• Q&A with NJ’s DHS Commissioner

• Health Care in the Courts
• State Updates: CO, GA, LA, MN, NM, PA, & UT
• Leveraging Multi-Payer Databases for Value
• Advancing Health Equity in Medicaid via VBP

• Monitoring and Evaluating Section 1115 Waivers
• State Updates: CO, ME, NJ, OH, TN, TX, & VA
• County Health Rankings and Housing Costs
• Strengthening Medicaid LTSS: A Toolkit for States
• How Oregon Uses Systems-level Data

• Update on Medicaid Buy-in
• Seema Verma, Two Years In
• State Updates: DE, LA, ME, NY, OH, OR, PA, & VA
• Q&A with Louisiana’s Medicaid Director
• Opioids’ Impact on Children and Families

• Analysis of State-Based Marketplaces
• RWJF Medicaid Briefing Series
• State Updates: AZ, CA, CO, NE, NM, PA, VT & VA
• CSR Litigation and State Options
• Promoting Health and Cost Control
• State of Babies

• Health Care News from Capitol Hill
• New Pass-Through Funding Resources
• State Updates: CO, ME, NE, PA, RI, VA and WA
• New Early Childhood and Medicaid Initiative
• Health Impact Assessments and Better Decision-making
• Tracking Medicaid-Covered Prescriptions

• CMS Launches New Podcast
• Growth in Health Care Expenditures
• State Updates: KY, MD, MN, NJ, NY, NC, PA & WA
• Policies for Action Medicaid Research Hub
• State Approaches to Surprise Billing
• Antipsychotic Use Among Children in the Foster Care System

• Interoperability and Patient Access Proposed Rule
• State Updates: MN, MO, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, VA, & TX
• Analysis of Premium Tax Credits in 2020 NBPP
• 50-State Analysis of Drug Overdose Trends
• Advancing Interoperability

• State of the Union and Health Care
• State Updates: ME, NJ, NY, NC, OR, RI & VA
• Screening for ACEs and Trauma
• Health Workforce Development Recommendations

• Governors Set the Agenda for Health Care
• State Updates: CO, KS, ME, NE, NY & OR
• Marketing Tactics of Short-term Plans
• State Strategies to Address Health Care for Justice-involved Populations
• Trauma-Informed Care Champions: From Treaters to Healers

Last week survey results from the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index showed that the uninsured rate continues to rise, from a low of 10.9 percent as of the fourth quarter of 2016 to the current high of 13.7 percent, a net increase of about 7 million uninsured individuals. For an analysis of what may be contributing to the increase in the number of uninsured, both Health Affairs has a blog post on the subject and the New York Times published an article on their blog The Upshot.

Last Thursday the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed annual Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for plan year 2020. The Notice proposes regulatory and financial parameters for qualified health plans on the Exchanges, plans in the individual, small group, and large group markets, and self-funded group health plans. Our technical experts are reviewing the Notice and evaluating potential implications for states, so watch this space for upcoming programming.

Breaking news from Friday: the partial government shutdown has prompted an appeals court judge to issue a stay in Texas v. Azar lawsuit. For an analysis of where the case stands and implications of the federal shutdown more broadly on health care, listen to this Kaiser Health News’ What the Health? podcast (start at 1:12).

Over the holidays, Judge Reed O’Connor issued a stay and partial final judgment in Texas v. Azar. Doing so allowed the parties to immediately appeal his recent decision to invalidate the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The December 30th ruling ensures the ACA remains fully in effect in all 50 states and DC. Following the decision, on January 3rd. 16 states and the District of Columbia filed an appeal to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Check out this Health Affairs blog post for background on the case and an update on the legal proceedings.

Even though the end of the year is near, last week was not a slow news week. Late Friday the 14th, a federal district judge in Texas issued a highly anticipated decision in Texas v. Azar, ruling that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate to maintain health coverage is unconstitutional, and as a result the entire ACA is unconstitutional. Despite the ruling, the ACA is still the law of the land and most legal experts agree that this is only the first step in what is likely to be a long legal road that may end in the Supreme Court; consumers should be assured that if they enroll now they will have coverage in 2019. Heather Howard answers some burning questions related to the ruling and its implications in the latest Woodrow Wilson School Reacts post.

Friday was the very last day of open enrollment for HealthCare.gov and we are saw a big push by states as they remind residents of the deadline to sign up for health insurance. As of the enrollment numbers released last week, 4.13 million people have signed up for plans through HealthCare.gov as of December 8, of which 1.1 million are new consumers.

As we enter the last week of open enrollment for states operating health insurance marketplaces through healthcare.gov, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) released their weekly enrollment snapshot for week five. To date, nearly 3.2 million people have selected plans, of which 812,263 are new consumers; this is down from the 3.6 million people who had selected plans by this time last year. While there are many potential drivers of lower enrollment, we will likely have to wait till the dust settles on this open enrollment period to better understand the dynamics. However, as profiled below, several states that run their own state-based exchanges, and have extended open enrollments, are seeing sign-ups that are higher than last year.

Section 1332 waivers were in the health care policy news spotlight this week. On Thursday, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma announced the release of four waiver concepts designed to illustrate how states can waive certain Affordable Care Act provisions under Section 1332 of the law. For more information about the four waiver concepts, see this CMS fact sheet and a discussion paper, which describes each concept in detail. Manatt Health have written an Expert Perspective for State Health and Value Strategies on the new waiver concepts that breaks down the potential new options for states. Updates follow.

Last Monday, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service released additional guidance regarding health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) and other account-based health benefits. The guidance addresses the interaction between the tri-department HRA proposed regulations released October 23 and existing provisions such as the employer mandate. State Health and Value Strategies will be addressing the implications for states of these proposals in a webinar on Wednesday, November 28.

During the opening plenary at the National Association of Medicaid Directors fall conference, HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced a new opportunity for states to receive authority to pay for short-term residential treatment services in an institution for mental disease (IMD) for Medicaid beneficiaries with serious mental illness. Following Secretary Azar’s speech, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a letter to State Medicaid Directors outlining both existing and new opportunities for states to design innovative service delivery systems for adults with SMI and children with serious emotional disturbance. 

Last week, on the state-level, three states approved expanding their Medicaid programs and the results of several gubernatorial elections signal potential changes in state health policy. For a synopsis of what the election results mean for health care, see this Health Affairs blog post. In addition, the Kaiser Health News podcast What the Health? includes an analysis of midterm election results. Also last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule related to program integrity of Exchange operations. This Health Affairs blog post summarizes this rule, including implications for states. CMS also announced a proposed rule for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) managed care programs. CMS released a fact sheet explaining the goals of this proposed rule. Updates follow.

Open enrollment has officially begun! To kick off the OEP season, Georgetown University just launched an updated Navigator Resource Guide this week. The guide provides information on recent policy changes, a list of enrollment tools for consumers and assistors, and answers to hundreds of frequently asked questions (FAQs), ranging from questions about eligibility for marketplace subsidies to post-enrollment issues and small employer coverage. In addition, Kaiser Family Foundation put together a list of over 300 FAQs for consumers, navigators, brokers and other assistors. The FAQs cover a wide range of topics, including the 2019 repeal of the individual mandate tax penalty and a new section on short-term health insurance policies. Updates follow.

The Departments of Health and Human Services and Treasury (“the Departments”) released updated guidance setting forth their interpretation of Section 1332 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which authorizes states to waive certain provisions of the ACA. The guidance details new principles to be advanced by state waivers and outlines how the Departments will review waiver applications going forward. The guidance is effective immediately, though there is a 60-day comment period. For a summary of the guidance and implications for states, see this Health Affairs blog post.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed this week requiring drug manufacturers to include the price of drugs in television ads. Under the proposed rule, prescription drug manufacturers would be required to post the Wholesale Acquisition Cost for drugs covered in Medicare or Medicaid in direct-to-consumer television advertisements. Kaiser Health News has an article that details the proposal.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced this week that the average premiums for individual health coverage on healthcare.gov, the federal marketplace, will drop by 1.5 percent for 2019, marking the first-time average premiums have fallen since the implementation of the federal exchange in 2014. Kaiser Health News published an article that examines the factors contributing to the average decline in premiums.

Also this week, CMS took several steps to support both Florida and Georgia in response to Hurricane Michael. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared a public health emergency in Florida on Wednesday, before Michael made landfall, and a public health emergency in Georgia on Thursday. Our thoughts are with all those who are struggling in the aftermath of the hurricane and working in both states to care for affected residents. Updates follow.

On Wednesday last week, the Senate passed legislation, H.R. 6 - SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, to address the opioid epidemic, which now goes to President Trump for his signature. The Kaiser Health News podcast What the Health? walks through the details of the final version of the bill (starts at 1:27), and the Addiction Policy Forum produced a summary that outlines the 41 key components of the opioid package. Also, on Monday State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar, facilitated by experts at Manatt Health, on the implications of the proposed public charge rule for Medicaid. The  proposal would change how the Department of Homeland Security determines whether immigrants are “likely at any time to become a public charge,” which may put immigration status at risk. The slide deck and recording are on SHVS's website.

This week began with the release of a proposed rule by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that seeks to change how DHS determines whether immigrants are dependent on the government for financial support. On Monday, October 1, State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar, facilitated by experts at Manatt Health, on the changes proposed by DHS in determining whether immigrants—when seeking admission to the United States, an extension of their stay, or status change to become a legal permanent resident—are “likely at any time to become a public charge,” which may put immigration status at risk, and the implications of the proposed rule for Medicaid. Updates follow.

This week, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams released a new “spotlight” report on opioid addiction, Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids, which calls for a cultural shift in the way Americans talk about the opioid crisis and recommends actions that can prevent and treat opioid misuse and promote recovery. The Spotlight also provides the latest data on prevalence of substance misuse, opioid misuse, opioid use disorder, and overdoses. And, in case you missed it, this week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also awarded over $1 billion in opioid-specific grants to states to help combat the crisis. The awards support HHS's Five-Point Opioid Strategy, which was launched last year and enhanced this week.

As southern coastal states prepared for hurricane Florence this week, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared public health emergencies in North and South Carolina and Virginia. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is working to keep hospitals and other health care facilities open and running and has also waived certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements. We are thinking of all those effected by the storm and the folks in state government working hard to ensure the safety of people in their state.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was back in court this week in two separate cases. On Wednesday, oral arguments were presented in Texas v. Azar, a lawsuit brought by state attorneys general in 20 states who are seeking a preliminary injuction against some or all of the ACA. The Kaiser Health News podcast What the Health? opens this week with an analysis of the case (starts at 1:06). Also this week, a federal judge ruled that the Montana Health Co-Op is entitled to $5.2 million that it would have received in the final quarter of 2017 if the Trump administration had not eliminated cost sharing reduction payments. The implications of this decision are discussed in a Health Affairs blog post by Katie Keith.

In addition to the recent federal activity we covered in previous updates, see this Health Affairs blog post for a brief synopsis of federal guidance for health insurers you might have missed these last few months. Updates follow.

There was significant federal activity this week with several announcements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). On the Medicaid side, CMS released a State Medicaid Director Letter (SMDL) on budget neutrality for section 1115 demonstration waivers. Our friends and colleagues at Manatt Health have authored an Expert Perspective for State Health and Value Strategies (SHVS) that reviews the SMDL and discusses the implications for states. In addition, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Center (CMMI) announced the Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model this week, a new child-centered service delivery and state payment model for children covered by Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Finally, on the Marketplace side, CMS awarded $8.6 million in funding to 30 states and the District of Columbia to help strengthen their respective health insurance markets; for more information on these grants and how states can use them, check out this Health Affairs blog post. Updates follow.

With the announcement this week by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) of the approval of New Jersey’s Section 1332 waiver to create a reinsurance program, there are now a total of seven states with approved Section 1332 waivers, with six approved to implement reinsurance programs. The New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance put out a press release announcing the approval, which is projected to achieve a 15 percent reduction in what premiums would otherwise be without a reinsurance program. We have updated our map of state activity, with links to applications, approval letters, and more.

This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule to adopt the risk adjustment methodology that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services previously established for the 2018 benefit year. In response to the February 2018 New Mexico district court ruling, the proposed rule includes an additional justification regarding the use of statewide average premiums to calculate risk adjustment transfers and explains the reasoning behind operating the federal risk adjustment program in a budget-neutral manner. Comments for the proposed rule will be accepted through September 7, 2018.

This week, the Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury issued a final rule clarifying the definition of, and expanding access to, short-term, limited-duration insurance coverage (short-term plans). The rule extends the federally permissible duration of short-term plans to up to 12 months, clarifies that renewals or extensions are permitted for up to 36 months, and proposes a standard disclosure that would advise consumers that the coverage was not required to comply with the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections. The new rule is effective 60 days after publication in the federal register, such that short-term plans could be available for sale by early October. State Health and Value Strategies posted an expert perspective on our website authored by our friend and colleague Sabrina Corlette from Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms that provides a summary of the final rule and options for states.

This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule to readopt the risk adjustment methodology for the 2017 plan year. With this new rule, CMS will resume the risk adjustment program and begin collecting and paying out about $10.4 billion in risk adjustment transfers for 2017. For a summary of the final rule, check out this Health Affairs blog post.

In light of the federal district court’s decision in Stewart v. Azar, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is re-opening the comment period for Kentucky’s Section 1115 waiver application, which included work/community engagement requirements. In the announcement, CMS noted that “[a]lthough an additional public comment period is not legally required, CMS is conducting one to ensure that interested stakeholders have an opportunity to comment on the issues raised in the litigation and in the court’s decision.” The agency is accepting comments through August 18, 2018. To learn more about the Stewart v. Azar decision and its implications for states, join us for our upcoming webinar (see below for the link to register).

This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a press release announcing the suspension of about $10.4 billion in risk adjustment (RA) payments for 2017 until litigation around the federal RA program is resolved. The announcement was in response to a February 2018 New Mexico district court ruling that the government’s methodology for implementing the RA program was “arbitrary and capricious.” For a summary of the press release and its related implications, check out this Health Affairs blog post and a blog post by our friend and colleague, Sabrina Corlette from Georgetown University.

This week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a series of three new reports on marketplace enrollment and trends. The reports include data on: Effectuated Exchange enrollment for 2017 and 2018; overall trends on the operational and programmatic performance of the Exchange, and trends in subsidized and unsubsidized individual market enrollment from 2014 to 2017. A comprehensive summary of the reports, including details on the role of agents and brokers, can be found in this Health Affairs blog post.

The cost of health care was the subject of a hearing this week held by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. In case you missed it, you can watch a recording. The hearing was the first in a series on how to reduce the cost of health care in the United States and featured testimony from Niall Brennan, head of the Health Care Cost Institute, who argued that price increases are to blame for rising costs rather than an increase in the utilization of care. Also on the topic of the cost of health care in the U.S., Leavitt Partners released a report this week, the product of a combined quantitative and qualitative analysis of factors that may be influencing total cost of care in health care markets across the United States.

This week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released a final rule that alters the way that association health plans (AHPs) are regulated. The rule was accompanied by a press release and a new webpage. The DOL rule significantly loosens the conditions under which a group of employers – or the self-employed – can join together under an AHP and be considered a “single employer” under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Such AHPs would be regulated under federal law as large-group coverage, making them exempt from Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other federal and state requirements that apply only to the individual and small-group insurance markets. The final rule includes an implementation timeline and a pathway for AHPs to gain single employer status under ERISA. It also clarifies rules against health discrimination and which ACA protections AHPs are still subject to. Our friend and colleague Sabrina Corlette, from Georgetown University, provides an Experts Perspective of the rule and notes key implications states must consider when regulating AHPs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the release of guidance that provides states with information on how CMS can support their efforts to address the opioid crisis. The guidance consists of an informational bulletin on the design of approaches to covering treatment services for Medicaid eligible infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and a state Medicaid Director letter that advises states on which funding authorities may support health information technology efforts that could be used for the prevention and treatment of negative opioid outcomes. Next week State Health and Value Strategies is hosting a webinar on the status of state efforts to secure waivers to use federal Medicaid funding to provide care in Institutions for Mental Disease.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in the news this week with the announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) that it will not defend the ACA’s constitutionality and is siding with Texas and 19 other states in a lawsuit filed earlier this year. The lawsuit being pursued by Texas and other states claims that Congress' decision to eliminate the ACA’s individual mandate penalty requires that all or some provisions of the law be ruled invalid. In a brief filed yesterday by the DOJ in response to the lawsuit, the administration argued that "this Court should hold that the ACA's individual mandate will be unconstitutional as of January 1, 2019, and that the ACA's guaranteed-issue and community-rating provisions are inseverable from the mandate." For further analysis of the DOJ’s actions, check out this take in a Health Affairs blog post on the subject. Updates follow.

This week State Health and Value Strategies (SHVS) published a new issue brief, Toward Hospital Global Budgeting: State Considerations, which digs into an innovative approach to shift hospitals from paying for volume to paying for value. The issue brief includes case studies of three states: Maryland, which pioneered global budgeting; Pennsylvania, which is preparing to launch its model; and Vermont, which offers an interesting twist on the concept. I hope the issue brief provides you with some ideas of how global budgeting might be a tool for payment reform in your state.

This week the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released updated estimates of their baseline projections of the federal costs for premium subsidies under the Affordable Care Act for the 2018 to 2028 period. A few key takeaways: CBO previously estimated that repealing the mandate would reduce coverage by 13 million in 2027 and has now revised its estimate to around 8.7 million. Furthermore, CBO estimates that premiums will be “about 10 percent higher in 2019" because of the individual mandate repeal. For insights into CBO’s updated health insurance model, consider tuning in to a presentation on June 19 by CBO staff at the Bipartisan Policy Center which will be followed by a panel of budget and health care policy experts sharing their initial reactions to the proposed changes to the model.

This week State Health and Value Strategies (SHVS) published Medicaid Buy-In: State Options, Design Considerations and Section 1332 Waiver Implications, which explores opportunities for states to leverage their Medicaid programs to strengthen coverage. SHVS hosted a companion webinar on Tuesday (if you missed it, you can download the slide deck and the recording) and has created a map to track state activity around Medicaid buy-in programs. The map includes links to relevant legislation and groups states by whether they are pursuing a buy-in program or have established a task force to study the impact of a buy-in program.

Today President Trump gave a much anticipated speech on reducing the cost of prescriptions drugs and released American Patients First: The Trump Administration Blueprint to Lower Drug Prices and Reduce Out-of-Pocket Costs. The blueprint outlines actions that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will take including advancing generics to increase competition and exploring changes to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program rules. Also this week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its Rural Health Strategy, an interagency effort that seeks to improve access and quality of care for rural Americans.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar addressed the World Health Care Congress this week and focused his remarks on value-based care and the role of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in transforming the health care system in the United states “into one that pays for value.” Azar outlined four areas of emphasis for HHS: health information technology; health care pricing transparency; new models in Medicare and Medicaid; and reducing barriers to care coordination.

There was a flurry of activity surrounding the opioid epidemic in Washington D.C. this week as both the House and Senate advanced measures, which have states optimistic about the prospect of additional federal funding for the crisis. The Kaiser Health News Podcast, What the Health (starts at 7:11) has a good summary of the activity in Congress this week. Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Accelerator Program announced it is launching a new technical support opportunity for state Medicaid agencies through the Reducing Substance Use Disorder program area with an information session scheduled for May 2.

This week saw several states moving forward with Section 1332 waiver applications. On Wednesday, the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance in Wisconsin submitted the state’s 1332 waiver application to implement a reinsurance program, and today, Maryland posted its draft Section 1332 application and announced it will hold four public hearings.

On Monday the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the final 2019 Payment Notice Rule. Our colleague Sabrina Corlette from Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms has authored an expert perspective for State Health and Value Strategies that focuses on the major provisions of the Payment Notice and accompanying guidance documents that have significant implications for states.

This week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final report of enrollment activity for the individual marketplaces during open enrollment for plan year 2018.

Our friends, and insurance market technical experts, at Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms, have produced a new report that examines how states regulate coverage arrangements that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual health insurance market reforms. Sabrina Corlette, one of the report’s authors, recently authored an Expert Perspective and led a webinar for State Health and Value Strategies on the proposed rule on short-term limited duration insurance, one of the coverage options that do not comply with the ACA profiled in the report.

Today marks the eighth anniversary of the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA has proven to be resilient, and despite efforts to repeal and replace it over the past eight years, the law’s fundamental elements remain in effect. In other news today, President Trump signed into law the $1.3 trillion spending package. The omnibus bill does not include any funding to stabilize the Affordable Care Act individual markets, but it does include additional funding for the opioid crisis and mental health care.

Following the unveiling of President Trump’s initiative to address the opioid crisis, a new State Health and Value Strategies publication is available. Medicaid: The Linchpin in State Strategies to Prevent and Address Opioid Use Disorders by Manatt Health that illustrates the important role of Medicaid in addressing the crisis.

This week State Health and Value Strategies published a new issue brief, State Reinsurance Programs: Design, Funding, and 1332 Waiver Considerations for States by Manatt Health that provides a roadmap for states contemplating development of a state-based reinsurance program under 1332 waiver authority. And for those states ready to get to work on a 1332 waiver application to implement a state reinsurance program, SHVS has created a template to streamline the application process. As new states pursue section 1332 waivers, we continue to update our map with the latest activity.