Enhance Health’s Post

Thirty-nine states were finally eligible to widen their Medicaid eligibility in December, restoring healthcare benefits to some of the 24 million people who were disenrolled earlier for reasons of no longer qualifying or failure to renew coverage. These expansions are helping people affected by the unwinding, but not all states have been able to expand coverage, leaving many still uninsured. The technology, innovation, and high-quality standard of healthcare that we have in this nation are unparalleled, yet many still do not have affordable access to healthcare. 6.3 million people have gained health insurance since 2020, but until all Americans have ready access to healthcare, there is still work to be done. #Healthcare #HealthcareAccess #MedicaidEligibility

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented a new rule aimed at simplifying enrollment and renewal processes for #Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (#CHIP), and the Basic Health Program. This initiative aims to reduce red tape and ensure eligible individuals can access and maintain health insurance coverage. Key Changes: - Eliminated: Annual and lifetime coverage limits for CHIP enrollees. - Ended: The practice of denying CHIP coverage to children due to unpaid premiums. - Removed: Waiting periods for CHIP coverage, allowing immediate access to healthcare. - Streamlined: Transition process from Medicaid to CHIP for children experiencing income changes. - Guaranteed Timeframes: At least 15 days for submitting additional information during initial application and 30 days for returning renewal documentation. - Reduced Renewal Frequency: Renewals limited to once a year. - Eliminated: Mandatory in-person interviews for older adults and individuals with disabilities. Learn more: https://hubs.ly/Q02rw8260

(FISCAL TIMES) - "Nearly 1 in 4 of Those Removed From Medicaid Now Uninsured." Millions of Americans have been removed from state-level Medicaid programs over the last year, following the official end of the Covid-19 pandemic and the return to pre-pandemic rules governing access to the system. Request A Health Or DENTAL Insurance Quote On The Plans Being Offered Within Your State When You Go To: HI4E.Org 1(800) 793-0471 #MedicaidCoverage #AffordableHealthInsurance #HI4E.Org #ObamacareTaxSubsidies #AffordableCareAct #HealthInsurance4Everyone #MedicaidTaxes #FilingTaxes #2023TaxReturnPenalties #TaxPenalties #HealthAndLifeSolutionsLLC #MissedOpenEnrollment #OpenEnrollmentEnded #ObamacareTaxSubsidyPenalties #ObamacareSubsidies #ObamacareTaxes #TaxReturnPenalties #MedicaidEnding #MedicaidCuts #FiscalTimes #MedicaidFundingCutbacks #MedicaidEnrollment #MedicaidEligibility #CovidFundingEnded #CovidFundsClawedBack #MedicaidRecipients https://lnkd.in/gAPfn64V

📌Resources GUIDE for Disabled People Post Election 📌 (🔋 Threads 2/6) 📌Understand the issues: Many disabled people need their health insurance Medicaid/Medicare to Survive 📌 “President Trump will likely cut funding for outreach for ACA plans,” Gostin said. “This means fewer people will know their rights under the law and many will not sign up for ACA health care plans. Trump is also likely to cut Medicaid funding and support states that refuse to expand Medicaid coverage.” Newsvine (A Division of MSNBC/NBCNews) (🔋 Threads 2/6) [ID Photo 2: A mint green image with black texts that reads Understand the issues with a red underline many disabled people need their health insurance Medicaid/Medicare to Survive with a screenshot of the article from NBC News Millions at risk of losing health insurance after Trump's victory in navy blue and white with a blurb from the article that reads “President Trump will likely cut funding for outreach for ACA plans,” Gostin said. “This means fewer people will know their rights under the law and many will not sign up for ACA health care plans. Trump is also likely to cut Medicaid funding and support states that refuse to expand Medicaid coverage.” with red underline] #Election #Medicaid #Medicare #DisabilityRights #DisabilityCommunity #HealthCare

🚨 The Families First Coronavirus Response Act required Medicaid to provide continuous coverage for beneficiaries throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With disenrollments paused, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollment grew by over 23 million beneficiaries. The continuous coverage policy ended with the public health emergency, and states could begin coverage redeterminations on April 1, 2023. HHS had projected that 15 million beneficiaries would lose Medicaid coverage. However, as of March 20, 2024, more than 18 million people have been disenrolled. What’s more, 35 million beneficiaries’ eligibility redeterminations have either still not been completed or have not been reported. Disenrollment numbers and processes have varied across states. Starting from April 2023, states have up to twelve months to initiate redeterminations. Some states began disenrollments in April, while others waited until May, June, or July. 🌟 #Medicaid #HealthcareCoverage #Disenrollment #HealthEquity #HealthcareAccess #HealthcareSystem #SocialJustice #PublicPolicy #HealthcareAwareness #HealthcareRights #SupportMedicaid #HealthcareIsEssential

Health spending reached an astounding $4.8 trillion last year, estimates the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS), driven largely by the record number of Americans with healthcare insurance. “During the coronavirus pandemic, lawmakers and regulators in Washington poured taxpayer dollars into policies that increased the number of Americans with insurance coverage, driving the U.S. insured rate to a historic high of 93.1% last year,” writes Healthcare Dive, “People used more healthcare as a result, boosting national health spending.” According to the report from CMS, as spending and healthcare enrollment effects associated with the pandemic retreat, we will see a return to long-term trends: “Health spending and enrollment patterns are expected to resemble their longer-term trends more closely and to be driven to a greater extent by traditional economic and demographic factors.” Be sure to read the full report at: https://lnkd.in/gtB85hJt #HealthcareCosts #CMS #HealthInsurance

This month CMS extended MassHealth Demonstration Promoting Affordable Coverage, Continuous Eligibility to Additional Populations, and Health-Related Social Needs Services by approving an amendment to the MassHealth Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) Section 1115 Demonstration. Expanding current program features, Marketplace subsidies, and cost-sharing assistance to promote affordable coverage and care, as well as continuous eligibility to additional populations to support stable coverage. The amendment enhances social needs services and infrastructure to promote individual's coverage and access to care. The MassHealth Medicaid CHIP amendment states, "the demonstration is likely to promote Medicaid objectives by increasing access to high-quality medical assistance, expanding on the coverage of health care services that would otherwise not be available, and promoting stable coverage for Medicaid beneficiaries. In addition, the provision of this additional coverage may lower program costs through improved beneficiary health, making it possible for the state to expand other coverage with the dollars saved, further promoting the coverage objective of the Medicaid statute."

New study from the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation - HHS published today. According to the study, approximately 1.3 million children with health insurance coverage through #Medicaid or #CHIP, the Children's Health Insurance Program, will benefit from new continuous eligibility requirements. Temporary changes in household income or composition can disrupt a child's health insurance through #Medicaid or #CHIP and thus their access to healthcare. According to the data released today, as many as 10% of households with children experience a substantial (i.e., > 50%) drop in household income during the plan year, disproportionately affecting lower-income households. What is even more troublesome, as many as 25% of the impacted households experienced in INCREASE in household income shortly before the drop, which may temporarily push them over the income eligibility threshold for #Medicaid or #CHIP. Extending continuous program eligibility to 12 months across all states will reduce the administrative burden for families AND state Medicaid offices, and minimize the risk that short-term fluctuations in living conditions unnecessarily disrupt a child's access to care.

The number of adults foregoing their healthcare due to high costs decreased by 4.75 million between 2019 and 2022. Researchers from the Urban Institute and Robert Woods Johnson Foundation analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey during this period to assess cost-related barriers to care before, during and after the pandemic and its related policies protecting insurance coverage. According to the findings, federal and state policy changes enacted during the public health emergency led to significant improvements in both health insurance coverage and healthcare access. Patient Engagement has more on what the continued unwinding of the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement and potential expiration of enhanced Marketplace subsidieis after 2025 could make in these gains in coverage and access. https://lnkd.in/gXXsub9J

As of September 2024, nearly 2 million Americans age 50–64 lost their #Medicaid eligibility as part of #MedicaidUnwinding. In order to better understand the impacts on State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs), Benefits Enrollment Centers (BECs), and the clients these organizations serve, we surveyed #Medicare enrollment counselors across the country about their experiences.    Matthew Hubbard, Policy Analyst at NCOA, broke down the key takeaways for professionals, policymakers, and advocates. Learn more.👇 https://lnkd.in/eZePrijA