The NDNRC newsletter will be published on a biweekly basis until the end of the summer.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has noted that states that have many application backlogs will most likely affect a person’s access to healthcare coverage. Issues for this are due to application process timelines, decreased staff, and states being required to submit extra data.
As of June 28, states have reported renewal outcomes for more than half of those enrolled in Medicaid/CHIP, according to data from the KFF with 17.9 million renewals still remaining. 25% of those who completed the renewal process were disenrolled and 52.4 million enrollees were able to qualify for renewed coverage. The large range of disenrollment rates in each state varies, with the highest of 56% being in Utah and the lowest of 13% in Maine and North Carolina. Out of all states with available data, 69% of all those disenrolled were due to procedural reasons.
In a blog post by the Commonwealth Fund (TCF), Medicaid enrollment churn has increased due to the unwinding of Medicaid and found that almost 70% of disenrollments have been due to procedural reasons, such as failing to complete the correct paperwork.
TCF also covered Section 1557’s prohibition against discrimination in healthcare coverage, a topic that NDNRC has covered through the basics, discriminatory benefit design, and covered entities and how all of these topics relate to people with disabilities. This blog discussed the implications of the recent Loper Bright v. Raimondo ruling and Section 1557.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities will be hosting a Beyond the Basics webinar on application and plan comparison best practices on July 30 at 2:00 PM ET. This webinar will discuss complicated features of HealthCare.Gov and state-based application questions for new assisters.
The Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families (CCF) reported on the Congressional Budget Office’s June 2024 Medicaid baseline. States can help individuals enroll by maintaining and monitoring outreach and improving ex parte renewal requirements.
CCF also covered the new Medicaid managed care regulations that have updated CMS policy on State Directed Payments (SDP). SDPs allow for improved access to care and allow states to set requirements and direction on plan payments.
CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services have proposed new policies to help decrease maternal mortality and morbidity that impact marginalized communities, like people with disabilities. One of the main proposals includes baseline health and safety requirements for hospitals and critical access hospitals (CAHs) for obstetrical services.
CMS also proposed that the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 requirement, that requires that states provide 12-months of continuous eligibility to all children in Medicaid and CHIP, be made into law. This would also allow for greater access to maternal healthcare.
Archives of our weekly updates are available on the NDNRC website. Follow us on Twitter/X at @NDNRC.