Coronavirus

States Leverage Waivers To Support Medicaid Redetermination

January 17, 2024 - States flocked toward ex parte renewals and contact information update waivers to support Medicaid redetermination processes after the coronavirus public health emergency ended, a KFF brief found. For six months, Medicaid has been in a state of “unwinding” as the program restarted typical processes following the end of continuous...

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HHS Patient Assistance Program Aims To Boost Access to COVID-19 Drug

by Kelsey Waddill

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will ensure access to a coronavirus therapy from Pfizer for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and the uninsured through a patient assistance program,...

How COVID-19 Policies Impacted Medicaid Enrollment Among Children

by Kelsey Waddill

Medicaid enrollment among children surged during the coronavirus pandemic, fueled in certain states by policies in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) that helped maintain coverage, a...

Coronavirus Pandemic Policies May Have Improved Care Affordability

by Kelsey Waddill

Coronavirus pandemic policies may have helped curb unmet care, unaffordability in care, and certain care disparities, but these trends could also reflect lower overall care utilization due to...

Medicaid Coverage Losses Less Likely During First Year of Pandemic

by Victoria Bailey

Adults were less likely to lose Medicaid coverage during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the year before in 2019, a study published in Health Affairs found. Between February and...

The Range for Projected, Post-PHE Medicaid Disenrollment Is Broad

by Kelsey Waddill

Depending on the Medicaid disenrollment rate after the public health emergency, the public payer program could lose anywhere from 8 million to over 24 million Medicaid enrollees, a Kaiser Family...

Public-Private Program Boosts Uninsured Access to COVID-19 Vaccines

by Kelsey Waddill

In an effort to maintain access to coronavirus vaccines for uninsured Americans, HHS has introduced a public-private partnership with pharmaceutical companies. The partnership, known as the “HHS...

Long-Term COVID-19 Symptoms Associated with Higher Unmet Needs

by Kelsey Waddill

Patients with a post–COVID-19 condition (PCC) faced higher unmet needs due to affordability and access to care barriers, a study published in JAMA Network Open found. Data for this study came...

Update on the Massachusetts Medicaid Redetermination Process

by Kelsey Waddill

MassHealth is pursuing a multi-pronged approach to reducing coverage loss during the Medicaid redetermination process, an issue brief from Manatt Health explained. The researchers noted that...

Medicaid Eligibility Status Remains Elusive as Continuous Coverage Ends

by Kelsey Waddill

As the era of continuous coverage under the coronavirus public health emergency draws to a close, Medicaid beneficiaries remain unsure about the future of their Medicaid eligibility. “Medicaid...

States with Highest COVID Medicaid Enrollment May See Big Losses Post-PHE

by Kelsey Waddill

With Medicaid continuous enrollment coming to an end on March 31, 2023, states are expected to see a decline in Medicaid enrollment after three years of growth, a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF)...

The Role of Medicaid Managed Care Organizations in the PHE Unwinding

by Kelsey Waddill

Medicaid managed care organizations have a key role to play in the public health unwinding, a Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) brief found. The brief’s findings are based on two study components:...

HHS Shares COVID-19 Public Health Emergency End Date, What to Expect

by Kelsey Waddill

HHS announced that the coronavirus public health emergency (PHE) will end on May 11, 2023, giving states 90 days to finalize arrangements for relevant policy changes. “We have come to this point...

Enrollment in Medicaid, CHIP Has Grown 28% During the Pandemic

by Victoria Bailey

Enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) has increased by 20.2 million beneficiaries since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an analysis from the...

How States Can Prepare for 2023 Medicaid Redeterminations

by Kelsey Waddill

On April 1, 2023, states will begin the Medicaid redetermination process as part of the public health emergency unwinding. After anticipating this moment for the last two years, states finally received an official start date in the...

FCC Allows Use of Automated Calls, Texts for Coverage, Enrollment Info

by Victoria Bailey

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued guidance allowing federal and state governmental agencies to send automated calls and text messages providing individuals with information about...

Decreased Uninsurance Rate in 2021 Driven by Public Coverage Gains

by Victoria Bailey

Around 8 million people gained health insurance coverage during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily due to increased access to public coverage, a Health Affairs study found. Temporary...

Private Payers Reimbursed Telehealth, In-Person Care Equally in 2020

by Kelsey Waddill

In 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic forced a major shift to telehealth and virtual care, private payers were reimbursed for telehealth and in-person care equally, research from Peterson-Kaiser Family...

Medicaid HCBS Recipients Had High Excess Mortality Rates During Pandemic

by Victoria Bailey

Medicaid beneficiaries receiving home- and community-based services (HCBS) during the COVID-19 pandemic had higher excess mortality rates than community-dwelling beneficiaries and the general...

Top Predictions for Health Insurers, Employers in the New Year

by Kelsey Waddill

Health insurers and employers face a challenging landscape in 2023, but these obstacles are accompanied by opportunities for growth, according to experts’ top predictions. Three years after the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic...

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