Covering Kids & Families of Indiana Newsletter |
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State Legislation
The legislative session in Indiana started a mere 10 days ago, but many many bills on CKF's tracking list have had committee hearings. (Quick recap: committees are where bills are first discussed. This is the stage of the legislative process where the public has a chance to provide input.)
Some CKF and ISHN related topics heard in committee this week were:
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Reading skills (SB 1)
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Prior Authorization (SB 3)
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Reading proficiency (SB 6)
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Approved vaping products (SB 227)
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Biomarker testing coverage (SB 273)
Bills to watch:
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SB 132 - This bill touches on claim payments for a specific managed care population in Medicaid.
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SB 272 - This bill contains language from SB 321 from the 2023 session that would require a parent be present for services at a School Based Health Center. This would be a detriment to easily accessible services for families, creating additional barriers and constraints.
You can look through allllllll the bills filed this session here. If you have questions or want help understanding a bill, email Amy Chandler at achandler@ckfindiana.org.
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Federal Legislation
Health Care PRICE Transparency Act 2.0 - Indiana Senator Mike Braun and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) along with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tina Smith (D-Minnesota), and John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado) have introduced a major bill to reveal health care prices for Americans. It is known as the Health Care PRICE Transparency Act 2.0 and it will require all negotiated rates and cash prices between plans and providers to be accessible.
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Understanding New Federal Guidance on Medicaid Coverage of Health-Related Social Needs Services
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new informational bulletin and an accompanying coverage table on state options to cover services that address health-related social needs (HRSN) through Medicaid. Health related social needs are an individual’s unmet, adverse social conditions (e.g., housing instability, homelessness, nutrition insecurity) that contribute to poor health and are a result of underlying social determinants of health (conditions in which people are born, grow, work, and age). You can read more on the topic from KFF here.
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NEWS FROM THE INDIANA SCHOOL HEALTH NETWORK |
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Call for Exhibitors
The Indiana School Health Network (ISHN) invites community, school, and public health organizations to the 16th Annual School Health Network Conference as an Exhibitor. The ISHN conference is attended by over 500 school professionals, including educators, school nurses, social workers, school administrators, public health nurses, managed care professionals, federally qualified health center and school-based health center leadership, providers, and school health experts from across the region. Exhibitors provide attendees with valuable information and resources and have the opportunity to collaborate with conference attendees.
Reserve your booth now-- space is limited!
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Call for Sponsors
The Indiana School Health Network (ISHN) and Covering Kids & Families of Indiana are looking forward to the 16th annual ISHN Conference in June. Call for Sponsors is open until April 1, 2024.
Conference sponsors have the opportunity to elevate awareness, establish connections, and network with conference attendees. Detailed information regarding sponsorship levels is provided below.
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Federal Poverty Guidelines
Every year in January, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announces changes to the federal poverty level (FPL). These changes impact eligibility for various programs including Medicaid. A few things to know:
- The guidelines are calculated using the most recent Census Bureau poverty thresholds and are adjusted for economic changes in the past year. The increase for year 2024 was 4.1%. In 2023, 100% FPL for a family of four was $30,000 and in 2024 it is $31,200.
- Indiana’s Family & Social Services Administration (FSSA) updates the Medicaid eligibility based on new FPL guidelines annually - usually on March 1st.
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Marketplace
Marketplace 2024 open enrollment is over with a record number of consumers signing up for healthcare coverage. The high number is attributed to the Medicaid unwinding, continued enhanced subsidies (through 2025), and fixing the family glitch. Even without final numbers, Indiana has over 91,000 more Marketplace enrollments, which is a 49% change from last year (KFF Blog 1/11/2024).
Consumers can still seek a special enrollment period (SEP) to sign up for Marketplace coverage. In addition to the usual reasons, through July 31, 2024, anyone who has lost Medicaid coverage since March 31, 2023 is eligible for a 60 day SEP that starts the day they submit or update a Marketplace application. This Unwinding SEP will be automatically applied based on their answers to the application questions regarding Medicaid.
Learn more here including how to answer the Medicaid coverage questions. |
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Who Do I Call in a Crisis?
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has increased access to supportive services during a mental health crisis, but you may be unsure about the role of 988 versus 211 and 911. These Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) can help you understand and explain to others.
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National Blood Donor Month
Did you know that when you become a blood donor, you can save the lives of accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and even people battling cancer? Donated blood is never wasted and always needed!
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Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps individuals and families pay their heating bills so they can maintain safe and healthy indoor temperatures. The program prevents energy shutoffs while also making homes more energy efficient.
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Coverage to Care
From Coverage to Care is an initiative to help people with new health coverage understand their benefits and use them appropriately to connect to primary care and the preventive services that are right for them. Materials are free and can be ordered at the link below.
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Practicing Cultural Humility When Serving Immigrant and Refugee Communities
There are three tenets of cultural humility: lifelong learning and self-reflection; mitigating power imbalances; and institutional accountability. This 2020 article from EthnoMed, a resource with information about cultures and cross-cultural practice, explores cultural humility, advocating for a culturally humble approach that values openness to learning, increasing acceptance of our own biases, and collaboration with the person being served.
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Spotlight on CMS’ Non-Emergency Medical Transportation Guidance
This webinar, presented by Manatt Health, will review new transportation guidance and policies from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and how they may benefit people on Medicaid.
The webinar is on February 7th at 3 pm EST. You can register here. |
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CMS National Stakeholder Call
Please feel free to join the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, who will highlight CMS’ key 2023 accomplishments and look ahead to how 2024 priorities will advance the CMS Strategic Plan. CMS serves the public as a trusted partner and steward dedicated to advancing health equity, expanding coverage, and improving health outcomes. CMS strives to engage the communities they serve throughout the policymaking and implementation process.
The first National Stakeholder Call with the CMS Administrator in 2024 will provide an opportunity to learn more about how to partner to help implement the Strategic Plan and key initiatives.
The call is on January 23, 2024 from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (ET). You can register here.
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IHCP Enrollment
Total Membership decreased in December.
With 2,012,389 members, there were 26,081 or -1.28% fewer members in December 2023 than in November 2023.
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© 2023 Covering Kids & Families of Indiana | All Rights Reserved |
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