Health Coverage and Access
FEATURED ARTICLE
How States Address Social Determinants of Oral Health in Dental and Medical Medicaid Managed Care Contracts
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home Child Oral Health, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Oral Health, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Ariella Levisohn, Allie Atkeson and Carrie HanlonInequities in oral health and health outcomes are driven by upstream factors, including diet, education, transportation, and access to care. A growing number of states are working to improve the oral and physical health of Medicaid enrollees and reduce costs by addressing these social determinants of health in their managed care contracts.
How States Address Social Determinants of Oral Health in Managed Care Contracts
/in Policy Maps Child Oral Health, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Oral Health, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by NASHP StaffCMS Approves Georgia’s Partial Medicaid Expansion
/in Policy Georgia Blogs, Featured News Home Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Medicaid Expansion, Work Requirements /by Anita CardwellLast week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved Georgia’s Pathways to Coverage Section 1115 waiver request, allowing for a limited expansion of Medicaid that provides coverage to individuals ages 19 to 64 earning up to 100 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL).
State Strategies to Address the Black Maternal Health Crisis
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home Eligibility and Enrollment, Eligibility and Enrollment, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Infant Mortality, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care /by Taylor Platt, Eddy Fernandez and Carrie HanlonThe inequities laid bare by COVID-19 underscore the importance of states’ efforts to develop policies and interventions to address all health disparities. Systemic racism, a driver of these inequities, also fuels disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality – Black women are four-times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. States are on […]
Results of a Five-State Community of Practice to Improve Medicaid Immunization Rates through Partnerships
/in Policy Blogs, Featured News Home CHIP, CHIP, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Immunization, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal Health and Mortality, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health /by Rebecca Cooper, Jill Rosenthal and Ariella LevisohnFaced with persistent disparities in vaccination rates among children and pregnant women, a five-state community of practice, coordinated by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), AcademyHealth and Immunize Colorado, formed interdisciplinary, cross-agency teams to address access and other challenges to reduce immunization gaps among low-income pregnant women and children. Their approaches and lessons […]
States Need Federal Guidance to Plan for When the Public Health Emergency Ends
/in Policy Blogs Health Coverage and Access, Health IT/Data, State Insurance Marketplaces, Workforce Capacity /by Anita CardwellWhile the federal COVID-19 public health emergency – which allows for a range of state and federal policy flexibilities in programs such as Medicaid – was recently extended, considering the significant number of pandemic-related policies that states have implemented, officials need to begin preparing now for the eventual end of the emergency. Currently, there is […]
Stand by Me: Supporting Long-Term Services and Supports Workers
/in Policy Oregon, Tennessee Chronic and Complex Populations, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Long-Term Care, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health, State Resources, The RAISE Family Caregiver Resource and Dissemination Center, Workforce Capacity /by Wendy Fox-GrageDirect care workers play a critical role in the success of states’ long-term services and supports (LTSS) systems, but faced with COVID-19, low wages, and few advancement opportunities, states struggle to retain this workforce. Recently, state leaders came together virtually at National Academy for State Health Policy’s annual conference to share strategies to improve recruitment […]
NASHP Resource Hub: State Strategies to Build and Support Palliative Care
/in Policy Reports, Toolkits Care Coordination, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Community Health Workers, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Featured Policy Home, Health Coverage and Access, Health System Costs, Long-Term Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Palliative Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Workforce Capacity Chronic and Complex Populations /by Kitty Purington, Wendy Fox-Grage and Salom TeshalePalliative care helps individuals with serious illness better manage the symptoms and stressors of disease. These services are interdisciplinary, person- and family-centered, and can help people at any stage of a serious illness.
States are uniquely positioned to influence how Americans think about access, and experience palliative care.
Medicaid Agencies Implement Innovative Outreach Strategies: Lessons from Kentucky and Virginia
/in COVID-19 Kentucky, Virginia Blogs, Featured News Home CHIP, CHIP, COVID-19, Eligibility and Enrollment, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Population Health /by Gia GouldAs the pandemic continues and more individuals lose jobs and health insurance, the demand for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage is rising. Kentucky and Virginia – stripped of their traditional, in-person enrollment strategies – have adapted their outreach efforts to help make enrollment as easy as possible for adults and children to […]
Three Approaches to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment in State Departments of Corrections
/in Policy Kentucky, Maine, Pennsylvania Featured News Home, Reports Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Health Coverage and Access, Medicaid Expansion, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Jodi Manz and Eliza MetteAs drug overdose fatalities continue to rise and incarceration rates remain high nationwide despite recent declines, states are increasingly developing opportunities for incarcerated individuals to access evidence-based opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in state prison facilities. While the forced abstinence during incarceration can temporarily pause substance use itself, providing comprehensive treatment that includes medications for […]
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
States Quickly Retool Strategies to Maximize Vaccination Coverage
/in COVID-19 Blogs, Featured News Home Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, COVID-19, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Population Health, Quality and Measurement, Quality and Measurement, Social Determinants of Health, Workforce Capacity /by Ariella Levisohn, Rebecca Cooper and Jill RosenthalFaced with limited vaccine supplies, a slow rollout of federal funds, and new federal guidelines allowing vaccination of those 65 and older, states face distribution challenges as they quickly evaluate which mass immunization practices are most effective.