On this version
- COVID-related enrollment window now underway in most states
- CMS notifies states that Medicaid work necessities are being reconsidered
- South Dakota legislature passes invoice to permit sale of Farm Bureau non-insurance plans
- Kansas Senate laws would enable short-term well being plans in Kansas to observe federal guidelines
- Aetna plans to rejoin exchanges for 2022
- Washington state Senate approves laws to make sure protection of gender-affirming healthcare
- Rhode Island laws would create fee to think about single-payer well being program
- Medicaid buy-in laws launched in West Virginia
COVID-related enrollment window now underway in most states
Though open enrollment ended two months in the past in a lot of the nation, a brand new one-time enrollment alternative is offered for 2022 protection. Uninsured People nationwide have entry to this enrollment window, and in most states, it may also be utilized by individuals who wish to choose a special plan or swap from off-exchange to on-exchange protection.
This enrollment window – a response to the continuing COVID emergency – is now underway nationwide, excluding Idaho, which introduced on Monday {that a} particular enrollment interval would start March 1. In nearly each state, the enrollment interval continues by way of Could 15, though there are six state-run exchanges which have – for now – completely different finish dates:
- Connecticut – by way of March 15
- Washington, DC – by way of the tip of the pandemic emergency interval
- Idaho – March 1 to March 31
- Massachusetts – by way of Could 23
- Minnesota – by way of Could 17
- Vermont – February 16 to Could 14
For those who’re not but enrolled in well being protection for 2022, or when you’re enrolled in one thing like a short-term plan, Farm Bureau plan, or well being care sharing ministry plan, this enrollment window – which doesn’t require a qualifying occasion – is a chance to safe actual medical health insurance protection for the remainder of the yr.
And control the COVID reduction laws that Congress is contemplating. It might find yourself offering enrollees with a lot bigger and extra broadly accessible premium subsidies, making it notably essential that individuals get enrolled in on-exchange protection earlier than the tip of this enrollment window.
CMS notifies states that Medicaid work necessities are being reconsidered
Final week, the Biden administration started notifying states with authorized Medicaid work necessities that CMS is contemplating withdrawing the approval for these packages. The letters had been despatched to Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin, and make clear that CMS “has preliminarily decided that permitting work and different group engagement necessities to take impact … wouldn’t promote the aims of the Medicaid program.”
There are at the moment no Medicaid work necessities in impact. Some have been overturned by the courts, some have been postponed voluntarily by the states, and others have been suspended or postponed because of the COVID pandemic and the ban on protection terminations that states are required to stick to with a view to obtain enhanced federal Medicaid funding in the course of the pandemic. The Supreme Court docket will hear oral arguments subsequent month in Arkansas v. Gresham, to find out whether or not the Trump administration’s approval of a Medicaid work requirement in Arkansas was lawful.
CMS additionally despatched a letter final week to states that at the moment function 1115 waivers, rescinding a earlier letter that former CMS Administrator Seema Verma despatched to states in early January. Verma’s letter had said that if CMS had been to terminate or withdraw approval for half or all of a state’s 1115 waiver, there can be a nine-month delay earlier than the modifications took impact.
South Dakota legislature passes invoice to permit the sale of Farm Bureau non-insurance plans
Final week, we informed you a couple of invoice in South Dakota that will enable the state to hitch Tennessee, Kansas, Iowa, and Indiana in permitting Farm Bureau (or different agricultural organizations domiciled within the state for not less than 25 years) to promote medically underwritten well being plans that will particularly not be thought of medical health insurance and thus can be exempt from insurance coverage legal guidelines and laws, together with state legal guidelines in addition to the Reasonably priced Care Act’s guidelines.
The invoice had already handed the Senate at that time, and has since handed within the South Dakota Home as nicely. It’s now into consideration by GOP Gov. Kristi Noem, who persistently voted in opposition to the Reasonably priced Care Act throughout her time in Congress.
There are different states (Michigan is an instance) the place Farm Bureau companions with well being insurers to supply ACA-compliant medical health insurance, and the Nebraska Farm Bureau companions with Medica to supply guaranteed-issue short-term medical health insurance throughout a restricted annual enrollment interval. However these approaches will not be the identical as permitting an agricultural group to supply merchandise which might be particularly not thought of medical health insurance.
Kansas Senate laws would enable short-term well being plans in Kansas to observe federal guidelines
Kansas is without doubt one of the states the place the principles for short-term well being plans are extra restrictive than the present federal guidelines. However S.B. 199, launched final week within the Kansas Senate, would change that. Kansas at the moment limits short-term well being plans to a single renewal, which suggests their complete length can not exceed 24 months. S.B. 199 would enable short-term well being plans in Kansas to have complete durations of as much as 36 months – in keeping with present federal guidelines. The Biden administration might roll again the Trump-era guidelines for short-term plans, nevertheless, which might finally make extra relaxed state guidelines moot.
Aetna plans to rejoin exchanges for 2022
CVS Well being/Aetna plans to supply well being protection in not less than some medical health insurance exchanges in the course of the open enrollment interval that begins this November, though the insurer has not but supplied particulars by way of the place it would take part. Aetna had beforehand provided protection in some exchanges, however had exited all of them by the tip of 2021, and has not participated since. CVS/Aetna opting again into the exchanges would proceed the pattern that has been ongoing in 2022, 2022, and 2022, with insurers becoming a member of or rejoining the exchanges, after quite a few insurers – together with Aetna – left the exchanges in 2021 and 2021.
Aetna’s earlier exit from the medical health insurance exchanges occurred earlier than the corporate was acquired by CVS. However the exit was controversial, and linked to the Division of Justice’s resolution to dam a merger between Humana and Aetna. Right here’s what David Anderson wrote about this in 2021, and Charles Gaba has put collectively a timeline of Aetna’s 2021 decision-making course of.
Washington state Senate committee approves laws to make sure protection of gender-affirming healthcare
Washington state lawmakers are contemplating S.B. 5313, which might require state-regulated well being plans to supply non-discriminatory protection for medically vital gender-affirming care. Insurers wouldn’t, for instance, have the ability to deny protection for providers wanted by transgender members, akin to facial feminization, breast reductions, breast implants, and so forth. by classifying them as beauty procedures.
The invoice was overwhelmingly authorized final week by the Washington Senate’s Committee on Well being and Lengthy Time period Care.
Rhode Island laws would create fee to think about single-payer well being program
Laws was launched in Rhode Island final week that requires the creation of a particular legislative committee tasked with “a complete research to find out the professionals and cons of implementing a single-payer (well being protection) program in Rhode Island.” The laws notes that an “improved Medicare-for-all kind single-payer program” can be within the state’s finest curiosity. There will not be at the moment any states which have single-payer well being protection programs, though there are others which might be contemplating comparable research.
Medicaid buy-in laws launched in West Virginia
Laws has been launched in a number of states this yr that will create Medicaid buy-in packages. With the introduction of H.B. 2241, West Virginia is the most recent state the place lawmakers are contemplating this chance. The concept is to create a public choice program by permitting residents – who wouldn’t in any other case be eligible for Medicaid – to buy Medicaid protection as a substitute for buying non-public medical health insurance. There will not be but any states the place Medicaid buy-in packages have been enacted; Nevada has come the closest, however the Medicaid buy-in laws that lawmakers handed in 2021 was vetoed by Nevada’s governor.
