This message was sent to ##Email## To advertise in this publication please click here October 27, 2020 Medicare and Medicaid to cover early COVID vaccine Politico The Trump administration this week will announce a plan to cover the out-of-pocket costs of Covid-19 vaccines for millions of Americans who receive Medicare or Medicaid, said four people with knowledge of the pending announcement. Under the planned rule, Medicare and Medicaid will now cover vaccines that receive emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, the people said, which is a change from current policy. The regulations, which have been under development for weeks, are likely to be announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Tuesday or Wednesday. READ MORE Feds extend Indiana's Medicaid expansion alternative for 10 years South Bend Tribune Indiana has received federal approval to continue its Healthy Indiana Plan for another decade, making Indiana the first state to receive a 10-year extension for its Medicaid expansion alternative. The extension comes as more Hoosiers than ever are enrolled in the health coverage plan. More than 572,000 Indiana low-income residents receive their health insurance through the plan, about 100,000 more than at this time last year, officials for the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration said. READ MORE  SPONSORED VIDEO Comprehensive Solutions for All Administrative Needs Highly configurable and scalable across all lines of business, VBA provides one common architecture for all healthcare administration needs through a comprehensive suite of solutions, including end-to-end functionality for benefit administration, user engagement, business insight and more. Watch our video to learn how! Interested in learning more about our solutions? Contact us to schedule a demo at vbasales@vbasoftware.com or visit vbasoftware.com. WATCH VIDEO How Missourians did an end-around their conservative legislature to expand Medicaid ABC News For almost a decade, advocates in Missouri have been lobbying their legislators to expand Medicaid coverage in the red state. Since the Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act was optional, 36 states plus Washington, D.C., have adopted and implemented the expansion. In those states where coverage has not been expanded, the decision has come at a devastating cost to Americans who fall into the "coverage gap," advocates said. 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READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE SSI Disability Benefits for Medicaid Members Steady income for your members - direct impact on SDoH Millions of dollars for your health plan's bottom line LEARN MORE Georgia Dems pan governor's healthcare plan, call for Medicaid expansion WXIA-TV Georgia Democrats warned tens of thousands of Georgians could lose their health care under the governor's new plan. On Wednesday, Georgia House Minority Leader Bob Trammell, along with Democratic candidates for the state House, said Medicaid needs to expand in Georgia. They said Gov. Brian Kemp's healthcare waiver plan announced last week will cause people to lose access to care and coverage. Trammell said it could also lead to more rural hospitals closing, which could be devastating to Georgia's poorest families. READ MORE  SPONSORED CONTENT Promoted by VSP Vision Care Licensed Medicaid Network in 50 States, State-Defined or Enhanced Vision Benefits Support Infographic: Discover 5 Ways to Save Improve HEDIS Scores and Members’ Health with a Total Wellness Solution from VSP Healthy Innovations State and CMS-Defined Reporting Support with Experience Managing Vision Services for 8.6M Medicaid Members Smarter Vision Care for Health Plans – Let Us Help Manage Your Vision Services 200,000 in South Carolina could get health coverage with Medicaid expansion Charleston City Paper Analyses from the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities predict 191,664 South Carolinians would gain health coverage if the state expands Medicaid. According to the CBPP, Medicaid expansion narrows racial disparities in health coverage and access to care, and it improves coverage and health for parents and children. It would also put the state in a better position to respond to the current coronavirus pandemic, the analyses said. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE Finally. EVV technology that makes your life easier. Optimize the EVV experience with mobile software that allows you to effectively manage home visits. FOCOS Innovations’ Service Central can make scheduling, tracking, and communicating service visits easier than ever. FOCOSconnect is fully compliant, allowing you to securely document when and where services have been delivered using built-in GPS tracking.Learn how FOCOSconnect EVV software can help you! LEARN MORE New York: Medicaid on the rise in Niagara County Lockport Union-Sun & Journal Like it has with so many other things, the COVID-19 crisis has impacted Niagara County's dealing with Medicaid. Burt Marshall, director of Social Services in Niagara County, said, in terms of the Medicaid department, which he oversees, his office has seen an uptick of 1,500 new recipients since the spring. There’s a couple different reasons for this. READ MORE Kansas elections set up hidden referendum on Medicaid expansion The Journal Voters in Oklahoma and Missouri directly made the call on whether to expand government financed health insurance in their states. but that can't happen in Kansas. instead, the fate of a long-debated, deadlocked medicaid expansion proposal can only be made in the traditional manner: On the basis of which legislators are chosen on Nov. 3. READ MORE Oklahoma: SQ 814 would allow TSET funding to be used for Medicaid expansion The Lawton Constitution State Question 814 would allow the State of Oklahoma to cover its share of the cost of additional Medicaid coverage by reapportioning funding from Oklahoma’s tobacco settlement fund. The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund (TSET) was created in 2000 when state voters approved State Question (SQ) 692, proposed by the State Legislature as a way to use funds Oklahoma had received from tobacco companies under a 1998 settlement agreement. By definition, those funds were to be used for tobacco use prevention, smoking cessation programs, education, health care and other uses established by the fund’s board of directors. Today, many adults are familiar with TSET through its commercials warning residents of the dangers of tobacco and programs promoting health — from free cessation help to encouraging healthy meals. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE COVID-19 Strategic Communications Tool Kit mPulse Mobile has sent over 22 million CV19-related messages and counting across SMS, email, IVR and mobile web. See our full suite of CV19 programs and resources to help you effectively connect your population to services, information, and updates during this crisis. Access the tool kit LEARN MORE Senator's plan to expand Medicaid in Texas and save taxpayer dollars D Magazine Texas Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, is on a mission to expand healthcare access in Texas while improving the state's coffers along the way. Studies from Texas economists show that expanding Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act would improve the health of those without health insurance and save the state money it is currently spending to care for its uninsured residents. READ MORE  PRODUCT SHOWCASE The ONLY health literacy solution Celebrate Health Literacy Month! Use the Health Literacy Advisor, software to simplifies complicated health information, including COVID-19. COVID -19 SALE 25% sale on HLA LICENSES until October 31, 2020 sales@healthlitercyinnovations.com LEARN MORE 'Common practice': State Medicaid programs require MCOs to address SDOH HealthLeaders A Manatt Health survey released Thursday morning indicated that it is now "common practice" for state Medicaid programs to require managed care organizations (MCOs) to address social determinants of health (SDOH). The survey found that care management is the most common approach to addressing SDOH while financing initiatives are the "most leading edge." 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