Covering Kids & Families of Indiana Newsletter |
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Indiana Prepares for 2023 Legislative Session
The Indiana General Assembly (IGA) is set to commence the 2023 legislative session on Monday, January 9th. House and Senate sessions are currently scheduled for 1:30pm that day and will mark the formal start of the legislative year. Although bills have only begun to be filed, many issues of interest to health and human services providers and advocates are expected to be at the forefront.
Of particular interest this year will be allocations made as lawmakers draft the state's biennial budget. Recent recommendations to dramatically increase public health funding and make deeper investments in maternal and child health will be under discussion, as well as budgets for agencies such as the Department of Health, the Family and Social Services Administration and the Department of Education.
Among bills filed to date is House Bill 1091 authored by Representative Ann Vermilion, which seeks to expand CHIP and Medicaid continuous eligibility for children from up to 3 years to up to 19 years. Bills will be filed on a regular basis throughout the start of session, and may be accessed at the link below. A calendar of committee hearings discussing these bills is available on the IGA homepage.
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Holcomb Unveils 2023 Next Level Agenda
Governor Holcomb has released his priorities for 2023 in an updated Next Level Agenda. Key focus areas include health and wellbeing, community development, education and workforce, and economic development. Specific items in the agenda include:
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Holcomb will pursue implementation of the Governor’s Public Health Commission recommendations, including a budget request for $120 million for state fiscal year 2024 and $227 million in 2025, with most of the dollars available to county officials.
- The governor will launch a new Treatment Finder Program to connect Hoosiers with appropriate addictions treatment. The state, along with local partners, will begin to invest the more than $500 million from the national opioid settlement to create more community substance use programs.
- The governor will expand eligibility for Child Care and Development Fund vouchers and work to expand On My Way Pre-K eligibility by raising the income eligibility limits for the programs from 127% to 138% of the federal poverty limit. Federal funds will be used through September 2024, with an estimated state impact of $15 million annually thereafter.
- The state will move forward another round of funding to address broadband service gaps with $70 million in state and federal funds.
- The state will continue its partnership with the state’s food bank network by increasing funding from $1 million to $2 million each year.
Many of the 2023 Next Level Agenda priorities will require budget allocations or other legislative support from the Indiana General Assembly. This may lead to changes in funding estimates, revisions to the priorities, or alternative timelines for implementation.
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Marketplace Enrollments Outpacing Recent Years
Marketplace enrollment for 2023 plans were up by approximately 1.8 million nationwide on December 15th with 11.5 million people selecting a health plan. This represents an 18% increase over the same time last year and is one of the strongest years ever for the Marketplace. The latest available figures for Indiana show the state is also on pace for an 18% growth in enrollment.
Individuals shopping for a plan will also benefit from increased Marketplace competition in Indiana and nationwide. Overall, 92% of HealthCare.gov shoppers will have access to options from three or more insurance companies while shopping for plans. The next snapshot of national plan selections, including state numbers, will be released January 11.
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Health Indiana Plan (HIP) POWER Account Payments
With continuous enrollment set to end this spring, consumers will need reeducation and information on making any required payments.
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Consumers pay a fixed monthly payment based on income, with
that payments ranging from $1 - $20 per month.
- Smokers pay a surcharge of $0.50 - $10 per month.
- Payments are made directly to the member’s health plan (Anthem, CareSource, MDwise or MHS).
- If consumers do not make POWER account payments, they will either be moved from HIP Plus to HIP Basic or lose their coverage all together (if their income is above 100% federal poverty level).
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HIP Basic does not cover vison, dental or chiropractic services and members must make copayments for many services. Members on HIP Basic will need to wait for the
ir next redetermination to move back into HIP Plus.
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Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Payments:
- Children whose families have income above 158% federal poverty level are required to pay premiums for coverage.
- Payments range from $22-$53 a month (based on one child).
- Payments are made to the State and can be done by mail, phone or online.
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Transportation Services Change
The company providing Medicaid transportation, Southeastrans, has changed its name to Verida. The only change members and providers will experience is that Verida will be prominently featured in all correspondence and materials including on the portals, emails, website and vehicles. Also, Verida’s name and branding will be used when providers, facilities and members schedule appointments. Members should visit verida.com and the member portal at verida.com/indiana-members/. |
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News from the Indiana School Health Network |
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ISHN Conference Exhibitor Opportunity
We invite you to join us for the 15th annual Indiana School Health Network Conference as a sponsor. As a conference sponsor, your organization can raise awareness of your services while connecting to and networking with conference attendees.
Deadline to Register as an Exhibitor is May 1, 2023
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ISHN Conference Call for Proposals
The Indiana School Health Network (ISHN) is inviting school health professionals and advocates to submit proposals to present at the 2023 Indiana School Health Network Conference June 14-15, 2023. The conference will be in person at the Embassy Suites Plainfield. This year's theme is "School Health: Connecting the Pieces."
All sessions are 60 minutes long, including time for Q&A and evaluation. Proposals will be selected based on the speaker's knowledge and expertise of the subject. Proposals of interest include but are not limited to the following:
- Policies, practices, or programs that promote cross-sector collaboration
- Managing health & behavioral health conditions affecting educational achievement, especially proposals on chronic diseases, suicide and substance use disorder
- Role of school-based health centers in children's health
- Emerging trends in early childhood education and health
- Promising practices advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Neuroscience-based tools to transform challenging childhood behaviors
- Care of children with special health care needs in school
- Best practices addressing ethics and professional boundaries
- Policies and legislation that advance school health outcomes for all students
- Effective Navigator outreach and enrollment practices
- Innovative Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model implementation
Special consideration will be given to proposals focused on alignment and coordination of services and resources, social justice in education, social-emotional learning and social influencers of health and education.
Deadline for submission is January 13, 2023
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IDOH Urges Parents to Have Children Tested for Lead
The Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) is encouraging all parents to have their children younger than 6 tested for lead exposure as part of legislation that passed in 2022 and took effect January 1, 2023. Previously, only children covered by Indiana Medicaid were required to be tested for lead at ages 12 and 24 months.
This new legislation, House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1313, will now require all healthcare providers serving children to offer lead testing to their patients, ideally at their 1- and 2-year checkups but also advised to offer testing to any child younger than 6 that has no record of a prior blood lead test.
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Marketplace Open Enrollment Webinar
Join the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on January 10 from 3:00pm - 3:30pm ET for a Marketplace Open Enrollment webinar. CMS will provide stakeholders with critical information, resources, and updated materials to successfully help consumers navigate Health Insurance Marketplace during open enrollment. This webinar is recommended for Champions for Coverage organizations, Navigators, Certified Application Assisters, agents & brokers and other stakeholders
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Pregnancy Promise Program Data
During their first year, the Indiana Pregnancy Promise Program enrolled 275 pregnant people with 93% sustaining their recovery during enrollment and 82% of infants were born at a healthy birth weight. The program promotes recovery from Opioid use by providing maternal and infant support and engagement.
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Online & On-Demand Navigator Pre-Certification & Continuing Education Courses
Covering Kids & Families of Indiana invites you to view our online and on-demand Navigator Pre-Certification & Continuing Education Courses. Each course is approved by the Indiana Department of Insurance. The Pre-Certification Course is for those hoping to become a certified Indiana Navigator, and the Continuing Education Course is for current Indiana Navigators. There is no charge for these courses.
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Enrollment Trends
Total Membership increased again in November. With 2,145,829 members, there were 16,012, or 0.75%, more members in November 2022 than in October 2022.
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© 2023 Covering Kids & Families of Indiana | All Rights Reserved |
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