As I (and many others) have been noting for many months now, the official end of the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE), whenever it happens, will presumably bring with it reason to celebrate...but will also likely create a new disaster at the same time:
What goes up usually goes back down eventually, and that's likely to be the case with Medicaid enrollment as soon as the public health crisis formally ends...whenever that may be.
Well, yesterday Ryan Levi and Dan Gorenstein of of the Tradeoffs healthcare policy podcast posted a new episode which attempts to dig into just when that might be, how many people could be kicked off of the program once that time comes and how to mitigate the fallout (I should note that they actually reference my own estimate in the program notes):
New Program Connecting Tax Filers to Health Coverage Ends April 15
DENVER— Colorado’s new Tax Time Enrollment Program that connects uninsured tax filers to health coverage is coming to a close this Friday, April 15. Due to a state law passed in 2020, this tax season was the first in which residents could mark on their Colorado tax form that they were uninsured and interested in getting connected to coverage with Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) or Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s official health insurance marketplace.
I've been posting weekly looks at the rate of COVID-19 cases & deaths at the county level since the point at which every U.S. adult could theoretically have received 2 COVID vaccination doses nearly a year ago, broken out by partisan lean (i.e, what percent of the vote Donald Trump received in 2020), as well as by the vaccination rate of each county in the U.S. (nonpartisan).
For a long time I used July 1st, 2021 as my start point, but in recent months I decided to back this up to May 1st, 2021 instead. Pinning down an exact date for this is a bit tricky since a) different populations were made eligible at different points in 2021, and b) it takes 3-4 weeks after getting your first vaccination dose before you can get the second one, but May 1st is what I've finally settled on.
With the Build Back Better Act having passed the U.S. House of Representatives last fall only to come screeching to a halt when it reached the U.S. Senate due to all 50 Republicans + Dem. Senator Joe Manchin refusing to support it, Congressional Democrats have started introducing standalone bills in an attempt to push through at least some of the more popular provisions.
The Health Insurance Exchange is seeking responses to an official request for proposals and is allocating up to $400,000 to support the initiative
HARTFORD, Conn. (April 7, 2022) — Access Health CT (AHCT) today announced the opening of its fiscal year 2023 Navigator Grant Program. The program will allow AHCT to deepen its community relationships with the goal of engaging, educating, informing and enrolling individuals in health insurance throughout Connecticut, particularly in minority communities that experience significant health disparities and higher uninsured rates.
ST. PAUL, Minn.—More than 1,100 residents used the Minnesota Insulin Safety Net Program to access over $6 million worth of insulin in 2021, according to a recent report from the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy.
Together, MNsure and the Minnesota Board of Pharmacy are reminding all Minnesotans that this program is available to provide fast, reliable help for those who need insulin and may be struggling to afford this life-saving drug.
For residents who are in immediate need of assistance – that is, have less than a seven-day supply of insulin and will likely face significant health consequences without it – the urgent need program enables eligible Minnesotans to receive a 30-day supply of insulin right away at their pharmacy and pay no more than a $35 co-pay, one time per year.
Federal and State Health Insurance Subsidies Boosted Enrollments on Colorado’s Exchange
Record number of Coloradans enrolled during the annual enrollment period
DENVER— In a report released today, the state’s official health insurance marketplace, Connect for Health Colorado, attributes record enrollments this past Open Enrollment Period to federal and state policy changes making health coverage more affordable.
The Biden-Harris Administration is announcing today that more than 59 million Americans with Medicare Part B, including those enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, now have access to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved, authorized, or cleared over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at no cost. People with Medicare can get up to eight tests per calendar month from participating pharmacies and health care providers for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
