Yesterday I noted that the big year-end federal omnibus spending bill includes provisions which allow states to start kicking people off of Medicaid who are only eligible thanks to the COVID-19 public health emergency bills passed in 2020 & 2021..but it at least does so in a fairly responsible way by phasing out the extra federal matching funds gradually over a 9-month period, to prevent states from dumping everyone all at once.
The omnibus bill also includes other important positive Medicaid provisions such as letting children who are eligible for the program stay on it for at least 12 months regardless of household income changes, and letting states offer 12 months of postpartum Medicaid/CHIP coverage to newborn children & their mothers on a permanent basis instead of the current 5-year limit.
A week and a half ago, on a Saturday Night, my friend Jenny Chumbley Hogue, a Texas-based health insurance broker, gave me a heads up about a rather concerning and suspiciously-timed notice regarding Oscar Health of Florida:
Hello agent, please view the below information in reference to Oscar. We have received this information from Oscar and are passing it along to you.
Beginning at midnight Monday, 12/12/2022, (00:00 am Tuesday morning), Oscar in Florida will cease all new sales for IFP. All previously enrolled members and auto-enrolled members can keep their current plan by paying for January coverage. If members need to make a plan change, they need to do so by this time, midnight Monday.
As I (and many others) have been noting for over a year 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):
Enhanced direct enrollment (EDE) is a new pathway for consumers to enroll in health insurance coverage through the Federally-facilitated Exchange. This pathway allows CMS to partner with the private sector to provide a more user-friendly and seamless enrollment experience for consumers by allowing them to apply for and enroll in an Exchange plan directly through an approved issuer or web-broker without the need to be redirected to HealthCare.gov or contact the Exchange Call Center.
Back in May, I first wrote about news that two additional states, Oregon and Kentucky, had decided to join New York and Minnesota in launching a Basic Health Plan (BHP) program under a provision allowing them to do so in the Affordable Care Act:
The Basic Health Program (BHP) – section 1331 of the ACA — was envisioned as a solution, although most states did not establish a BHP. Under the ACA (aka Obamacare), states have the option to create a Basic Health Program for people with incomes a little above the upper limit for Medicaid eligibility, and for legal immigrants who aren’t eligible for Medicaid because of the five-year waiting period.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Today, MNsure reports that over 119,500 Minnesotans signed up for 2023 health insurance through MNsure, where Minnesotans choose medical and dental coverage, between November 1 and December 15, 2022.
Now in its tenth open enrollment period, Minnesota’s health insurance marketplace continues to see strong enrollment and to provide tax credits that reduce the cost of monthly premiums for nearly 60% of enrollees who sign up for private health plans.
“In the first six weeks of MNsure’s open enrollment period, over 119,500 Minnesotans signed up for comprehensive health coverage,” said MNsure CEO Nate Clark. “Thanks to tax credits that are available only through MNsure, these families will save an average $560 per month.”
Minnesotans who missed the December 15 deadline still have an opportunity to enroll in coverage for 2023 — but they must act now. Consumers must sign up by January 15, 2023, for coverage that begins February 1, 2023.
Washingtonians can still enroll in or change their plan for a Feb. 1, 2023, effective date.
Yesterday, Dec. 15, was the last day to buy a 2023 health plan for it to begin on Jan. 1, 2023. But do not fret! It’s not too late for you to enroll in, or change, your 2023 plan at Washington Healthplanfinder. You can enroll in or change your plan until Jan. 15, for a Feb. 1, 2023, start date.
Thousands of Washingtonians have already visited Washington Healthplanfinder to secure their 2023 health insurance ahead of the Dec. 15 deadline. Additionally, several individuals and families chose to auto-renew into plans, and should their previous plan no longer be available, they’re placed in a comparable plan.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of the Health Insurance Marketplace (OHIM) will release biweekly updates on plan selections through CoverME.gov, Maine’s Health Insurance Marketplace.
Plan selections provide a snapshot of activity by new and returning consumers who have selected a plan for 2023. “Plan selections” become “enrollments” once consumers have paid their first monthly premium to begin insurance. These numbers are subject to change as consumers may modify or cancel plans after their initial selection.
The deadline to select a plan for coverage beginning January 1, 2023 is December 15, 2022. Consumers who select a plan after that date will have coverage beginning February 1, 2023.
CoverME.gov Activity Through December 10th, 2022
59,032 Mainers have selected plans for affordable health coverage in 2023
This includes 3,834 new consumers and 56,098 returning consumers.
