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Sept. 24, 2020

TOP NEWS

There's still time to register for MHPA20! MHPA MHPA's 2020 conference, "Building on the Promise of Managed Care," is less than three weeks away! This year's conference is completely virtual and runs from Oct. 13-16. The full conference agenda and speaker list can be found by visiting www.medicaidconference.com. The conference kicks off on Tuesday, Oct. 13, with a keynote address delivered by Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. Also on the schedule is a general session with health plan CEOs and a panel discussion with state Medicaid directors from Florida, Indiana and New Jersey. On Thursday, Oct. 15, Anne Marie Costello, Acting Deputy Administrator and Director of CMCS, will address conference attendees. Also, we have three different educational session tracks (Policy, Operations and Technology), covering a wide range of trending Medicaid managed care issues including, but not limited to, behavioral health integration, complex and high-cost patients, managed care's response to COVID-19, social determinants of health, home- and community-Based services, mental health and also a session on what MCOs are doing to address racial inequities and disparities. Register Today!

CMS raises alarm as vaccinations, screenings decline in Medicaid and CHIP due to COVID-19 FierceHealthcare The Trump administration is concerned about a precipitous decline among vaccination, primary and preventive services rates for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released new data Wednesday on rates for several services since the start of the pandemic in March. The agency said it is releasing the data to raise awareness of the services CHIP and Medicaid provide. READ MORE

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Missouri voted to expand Medicaid; will Supreme Court toss the law making it possible? The Kansas City Star Missourians voted this summer to expand Medicaid, with the goal of providing health coverage for an estimated 200,000 low-income residents. But the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Obama-era law that makes expansion possible, faces a constitutional challenge in the Supreme Court next month in a lawsuit supported by 18 states, including Missouri and Kansas. READ MORE

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What happens when Medicaid COVID-19 flexibilities, funding expire? HealthPayerIntelligence Temporary Medicaid coronavirus flexibilities and funding may be about to expire and CMS needs to be clearer about transition guidelines in order to help states be prepared, Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) noted in a recent issue brief. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) established Medicaid maintenance of eligibility requirements in order to infuse more funds into Medicaid programs during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. READ MORE

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Pandemic, new rule increase Medicaid enrollment Alabama Daily News Enrollment in Medicaid in Alabama has increased during the coronavirus pandemic, up more than 46,000 recipients since last year and surpassing a previous enrollment high set in 2015. Alabama Medicaid has retained an average of about 10,000 additional recipients per month since April 2020, the agency told Alabama Daily News. Enrollment in July was 1,092,935 statewide. READ MORE

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North Carolina Medicaid Innovations program gains more flexibility with virtual learning Winston-Salem Journal The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has received federal permission to provide more support to people who receive Medicaid and are attending school virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. The department said Wednesday that the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had approved a waiver request affecting the state's Innovations program. READ MORE

CMS boosts funds for Medicaid home- and community-based services Hospice News The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has allocated an additional $165 million to states that participate in the agency’s Money Follows the Person (MFP) program, which is designed to help Medicaid recipients transition from receiving care in nursing homes to home- and community-based services. READ MORE

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Oklahoma engaged: Medicaid expansion vote wasn't as simple as urban versus rural StateImpact Oklahoma Back in June, Oklahoma voted to expand Medicaid through State Question 802. That vote determined that Oklahoma would open its Medicaid program, SoonerCare, to more adults. About 200,000 Oklahomans are expected to qualify for enrollment under Medicaid expansion. StateImpact Oklahoma's health reporter, Catherine Sweeney, reports that there was a common misconception immediately after the vote. Those who saw election results broken down by county observed that urban areas, like Oklahoma and Tulsa counties, voted for the measure and rural counties voted against it. READ MORE

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Medicaid participants must have access to all opioid treatments, says Capito The Ripon Advance The Trump administration must take immediate action to address a decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that could negatively affect access to treatment for opioid addiction, according to U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) and a bipartisan, bicameral group of West Virginia lawmakers concerned about their home state's efforts to battle the ongoing drug crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE

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Report: New Hampshire could be getting a better deal on Narcan New Hampshire Union Leader New Hampshire could get a better deal on Narcan and other drugs used to treat opioid overdoses if the state bought them using Medicaid, according to a report released this week by the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. READ MORE

Nebraska governor, DHHS leaders highlight service to Medicaid recipients, temporary housing option for teachers KOLN-FM Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts held a press briefing on Monday to provide updates on the State’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Tim Meyers, President of WellCare of Nebraska, joined the Governor for the event. Meyers is also the President of the Nebraska Association of Medicaid Health Plans (NAMHP). He discussed the steps these plans have taken to remove barriers to health care access during the pandemic. READ MORE

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