Covering Kids & Families of Indiana Newsletter
February 29, 2024
|
|
|
Bills That DID NOT Pass
-
SB 22 Notice of debt collection (Becker). This bill would required a health facility to send notice to a person who owes a debt to the health facility before sending the debt to collections. This bill was withdrawn.
-
SB 276 Health care debt and costs (Qaddoura). This bill would prevent (1) wages from being garnished for a health care debt and (2) health care providers from reporting medical debt to consumer reporting agencies, among several other things related to medical debt.
-
HB 1392 Medicaid work requirements (Slager). This bill would put work requirements in place for certain individuals to be eligible for Medicaid.
|
|
|
|
Special Education Services Bill
Legislation intended to help families of students with disabilities navigate disputes over special education services with Indiana school districts appears to have failed in the General Assembly.
When schools and families disagree over special education services, parents can request a due process hearing. Language in HB 1380 would have shifted the burden of proof in due process proceedings from parents to schools in certain circumstances; that means districts would have to prove they provided an appropriate education to a student. Currently in Indiana, and in most states, parents are required to prove to an independent hearing officer that the school has not met their legal obligation to provide a free and appropriate education. Several states place the burden on school districts.
HB 1380, which includes many unrelated components, passed out of the House with overwhelming support — 91-7. But lawmakers on the Senate Education and Career Development Committee passed an amendment last Wednesday that stripped the language pertaining to shifting the burden of proof out of the bill. They also added a provision that would make independent hearing officers state employees.
|
|
|
|
National Rural Health Association (NRHA) Backs Dental Care as Essential Health Care Benefit
The federal government has proposed a wide range of health insurance rule changes for 2025, and if approved they’re likely to affect Marketplace enrollment deadlines and plan benefits as well as enrollees’ transition from Marketplace coverage to Medicare. The proposed rule addresses a wide range of issues such as allowing but not requiring states to add adult dental coverage to their essential health benefits package, a move that is supported by NRHA and other stakeholders. The proposed rule would also make the low-income special enrollment period permanent, among other changes.
|
|
|
|
NEWS FROM THE INDIANA SCHOOL HEALTH NETWORK |
|
|
|
Registration for the Indiana School Health Network Conference Opens Tomorrow,
March 1st
Covering Kids & Families of Indiana is excited to announce the Indiana School Health Network Conference will be FREE to attend this year. The conference will be held on June 4-5, 2024 at the Embassy Suites in Plainfield. In addition to no cost, pre-conference sessions have been added for June 3rd. Up to 14 free continuing education credits will be offered for nursing, social work, certified health education specialists (CHES), and library professionals. General certificates of attendance will also be provided. The Seeds of Hope: Growing a Strong Future for Hoosier Kids conference will encourage discussions and initiatives that highlight innovative approaches, community involvement, policy changes, and evolving opportunities. Keynotes include sessions on trauma-informed nutrition security, school-based Medicaid reimbursement, Indiana’s behavioral health strategic plan, and school culture and belonging. Registration opens March 1st!
|
|
|
|
FSSA Unwinding Updates
On February 19th, the Family & Social Services Administration (FSSA) held monthly stakeholder meeting. Here are some of the items discussed.
- Previous reports to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are being updated to show pending applications 90 days after the redetermination month. These updates are also reflected in the Dashboards.
- For key metrics that are measured nationwide, Indiana is consistently in the middle (average).
- FSSA has returned to pre-pandemic verification procedures. New applicants should expect requests for documentation of any eligibility factors that require verification or clarification.
-
Cost sharing for the Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP), Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and MEDWorks will restart July 1st.
- HIP members will receive invoices from their health plan. CHIP and MEDWorks members will receive invoices from the premium vendor.
- Key dates and timeline for reinstating cost sharing
-
February – Updated insert in eligibility notices
- April/May – 60 day notification of cost sharing restart
- June – Managed Care Entities (MCEs) send notice about July invoicing
- July – Invoices sent for August
- July – Co-pays active in HIP and CHIP
- August – Fast track payments will start
- October – First closures for members who do not make POWER Account payments or pay premiums
- The grace period (60 days) for making payments has not changed.
- Payment methods can be found in the MCE member handbooks.
-
FSSA will be sharing outreach materials this spring on the updated return to normal website.
|
|
|
|
PathWays for Aging Program
The Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) announced the enrollment and health plan selection period for the new PathWays for Aging Program. Launching on July 1st, PathWays is a new Medicaid managed care program for Hoosiers 60 and older with Medicaid based on age, blindness, or disability. This includes those living in a nursing facility and those receiving home- or community-based services through a waiver.
In the middle of February, members who qualify should have received an enrollment letter with information on how to enroll and on the managed care entities (MCEs) -Anthem, Humana, and UnitedHealthcare.
Members will need to pick a MCE by April 30th, or they will be automatically assigned. They have until the end of September to change MCEs. For more information, consumers can call 87-PATHWAY-4 (877-284-9294) or visit PathWays: Home (in.gov).
|
|
|
|
Women’s Health
KFF recently updated their in-depth dashboard which shows national as well as state information on women’s health data and the various policies that affect women’s health. Categories include abortion, maternal and infant health, demographics, coverage, access and utilization, health status and sexual health.
|
|
|
|
Grandparents
The United States Census released a report on Grandparents and Their Coresident Grandchildren: 2021. The report looks at national trends, characteristics of grandparents and grandchildren and households where grandparents and grandchildren live together. A few key findings include:
- Grandparents in 2021 were more likely to be responsible for grandchildren than in 2012.
- 16.2 % of grandchildren under the age of 18 living with grandparents were in poverty.
- Over 76% of all grandchildren under the age of 18 living with grandparents lived in households receiving some form of public assistance.
|
|
|
|
Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) are increasingly interested in using tech-enabled solutions to address the health-related social needs (HRSN) of their members, including through tech innovations that support screening, coaching, food delivery, and transportation, among other services. Using tech solutions to address HRSN offers the potential to transform health and social care by bringing more accessible and cost-effective services to Medicaid beneficiaries. Download the brief.
|
|
|
|
Improving Access to Care for Pregnant and Postpartum People with Opioid Use Disorder
There has been a sharp rise in the number of pregnancy and postpartum deaths linked to opioid use disorder. This webinar hosted by Manatt will cover recommendations for policy makers as well as state and community best practices. One key policy recommendation is guaranteeing Medicaid coverage and access to pre-release assistance for incarcerated individuals.
The webinar is on March 5th at 2 pm.
|
|
|
|
Health Care Access for People with Disabilities
Topics covered by this webinar hosted by the Indiana Immunization Coalition include interacting with people with disabilities, effective communication, and reasonable modifications.
The webinar is on April 16th at 2 pm.
|
|
|
|
Special Enrollment Periods/Períodos Especiales de Inscripción
This Beyond the Basics webinar will cover Marketplace special enrollment periods (SEPs). The webinars will be offered in English and Spanish.
|
|
|
|
Youth Tobacco/Vaping Prevention and Cessation
Indiana Department of Health, Tobacco Prevention & Cessation (TPC) and Indiana American Academy of Pediatrics (INAAP) are offering free trainings to support schools around youth tobacco/vaping use.
To support prevention education efforts, TPC has partnered with CATCH to offer two CATCH My Breath trainings – one Implementation Training and four Train-The-Trainer Trainings. To support cessation/treatment efforts, INAAP is offering two trainings on A.C.T. Now: Youth Tobacco Cessation Training for Schools. Please share these opportunities with your networks.
|
|
|
|
No Surprises Act Educational Webinars
The No Surprises Act is a federal law that protects patients from unexpected medical bills and resolves out-of-network payment disputes. To review rules and fact sheets on what No Surprises rules cover and to get additional resources with more information, click here.
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 1:00 PM EST
Thursday, March 14, 2024 1:00 PM EDT
Thursday, March 21, 2024 1:00 PM EDT
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 1:00 PM EST
|
|
|
|
CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule Education Session
On January 17, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule to enhance access to health information and streamline prior authorization processes for medical items and services.
CMS’s Office of Burden Reduction & Health Informatics will host a virtual education session on March 26, 2024, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm ET on the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization final rule. Patients, providers, and administrative, health IT, and government affairs professionals are encouraged to attend.
This event will provide an opportunity for participants to:
- Learn about the provisions in the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization final rule.
- Hear how the final rule builds on current CMS interoperability policies.
|
|
|
|
|
|
IHCP Enrollment
Total Membership decreased in January.
With 2,007,805 members, there were 4,584, or -0.23%, fewer members in January 2024 than in December 2023.
|
|
|
|
|
© 2023 Covering Kids & Families of Indiana | All Rights Reserved |
|
|
|
|
