OVER 35 MILLION HAVE THEIR COVERAGE RENEWED
As of February 22, over 17.4 million Medicaid enrollees have lost coverage, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) with 41.3 million renewals still remaining. 19% of those who completed the renewal process were disenrolled and 35.4 million enrollees were able to qualify for renewed coverage. The large range of disenrollment rates in each state varies, with the highest of 59% being in Arkansas and the lowest of 13% in Main. Out of all states with available data, 70% of all those disenrolled were due to procedural reasons.
KFF released a policy watch covering what is known and what is to be expected during the redeterminations of Medicaid. Three main points to continue watching were that Medicaid enrollment has declined by almost 10% state by state but overall has increased nationally, figures can still not accurately predict what the national Medicaid enrollment rate will be at the end of redeterminations, and what will happen to coverage overall.
The CHIRblog continued to cover stakeholder perspectives on the 2025 Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters (NBPP). Comments were reviewed from AARP, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Community Catalyst, Families USA, and the National Health Law Program. Topics included network adequacy, limits on non-standardized plans, enrollment periods, consumer assistance tools, and updates on essential health benefit benchmarks.
The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families reported on the importance of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly referred to as WIC, in helping improve the health of pregnant/postpartum women, infants, and young children. The combination of WIC and Medicaid can help ensure that marginalized populations, like women and children with disabilities, receive equitable health outcomes.
The Biden-Harris Administration announced $36.9 million in national funding opportunities available to grant programs that support behavioral health services. “Expanding access to health professionals in real time to address health issues, including mental health concerns, is a critical component of high-quality, affordable, person-centered health coverage,” said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, an administrator at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Review CMS’ policy roundup! Included policy topics relevant to people with disabilities and their healthcare coverage are vaccine toolkits, guidance on payment systems for community behavioral health clinics, Section 1115 updates, postpartum coverage, and care, and more!
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