WICS Live: Around the States

Indiana: Healthy Indiana Plan Will Enroll 5,000 More. The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration November 6th announced that 5,000 Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) enrollment slots have been opened to childless adults. The program, which began in January, currently enrolls more than 46,000 adults. The 5,000 slots opened up largely through attrition in the program. The program is open to childless adults who earn less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and who have been uninsured for at least six months; participants pay 2-5% of their income for program coverage, which includes hospital and physician services, and prescription drugs. Read more!

WICS Live: Around the States

New Income Eligibility Information for Medicaid & State-Funded Coverage for Adults Available by State from Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Read it. Read more!

WICS Live: Around the States

Enhanced FMAP Rates for Second Half of FY 2009 Published. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) increased states federal Medicaid matching rates by 6.2%, with additional increases depending on unemployment. The recession adjustment period included in ARRA began October 1 and will end December 31. Rates are available from the Federal Register. Read more!

WICS Live: Around the States

Despite Budget Struggles, 26 States Expanded Medicaid/SCHIP with Help from Federal Stimulus Funds. See December 8th survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Read more!

WICS Live: Around the States

States Continue to Face Fiscal Difficulties in the Face of Medicaid Enrollment and Spending Increases. A November 12th report from the National Governor’s Association and National Association of State Budget Officers finds that states continue to cut expenditures, and still face $14.5 billion in budget shortfalls in FY 2010 and at least $21.9 billion in funding gaps for FY 2011. Medicaid Is projected to grow at a rate of 6.6% in FY 2010. The reports are available at http://www.nga.org/ Read more!

WICS Live: Around the States

Wisconsin: State May Need to Cut $1 Billion From State Medicaid Programs. Over the next eighteen months, the state may be forces to make cuts to BadgerCare Plus, Family Care, SeniorCare, and other programs. For months, the state has been working to find approximately $608 million over the next two years. The state has identified 66 cost-saving measures so far, hoping to avoid service cuts or reductions in provider reimbursements. One of the largest savings will come from one-time accounting changes, delaying payments until the new state budget beings in July 2011. The shortfall is coming when more state residents are seeking to enroll in the programs because of the economy. About 700,000 residents were enrolled in BadgerCare Plus as of November 30th—nearly 70,000 more than in January 2009. The sharp increase in program enrollment will force the state to find an additional $450 million in savings or make program cuts. Read more!

WICS Live: Around the States

Oklahoma: State Board Cuts $17M from Medicaid Program. On December 10th, the Oklahoma Health Care Authority board voted unanimously to make cuts in services that may affect 700,000 SoonerCare beneficiaries. The cuts, which will take effect January 1st, come after Governor Brad Henry (D) and the state Legislature ordered state agencies to reduce the remainder of the year's budget by 5%. At present, the Authority’s board did not vote to reduced provider reimbursement rates, but those reductions could be on the table if budget issues remain. Read more!

Wics: Around the States

Louisiana: State Facing $306 Million Medicaid Shortfall. To make up for a mid-year shortfall, the state plans to dip into one-time revenue sources and cut mental health, public health, and prescription drugs, the state Department of Health and Hospitals announced in mid-November. The Department attributed to the mid-year shortfall to treating the H1N1 epidemic , to community-based programs for individuals with disabilities, which are over-budget by $44 million, and the economic downturn, which has added 22,000 to the state Medicaid rolls since July 1st. Read more!

WICS Live: Around the States

California: State Seeks to Restructure Medi-Cal Waiver Through 1115 Waiver. The state announced last month that it intends to seek a waiver from the Department of Health and Human Services to overhaul the state’s Medicaid program. The waiver would replace the state’s current Section 1115 Waiver, which is set to expire August 31, 2010. In addition to slowing the growth of spending, the goals of the overhaul include creating a more accountable, streamlined system of care, reward quality, and expand coverage to uninsured residents. A core component of the plan is to reduce expenditures for “high-cost beneficiaries” and provide better coordinated care to these individuals and well as people with disabilities, children with special health care needs, and dually eligible individuals. A draft of the waiver proposal is available online at http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/provgovpart/Pages/WaiverRenewal.aspx Read more!

Ask Senator Reid to Include Direct Care Workers as a High Priority for the National Health Care Workforce Commission in Health Reform

As the Senate continues to sort out its health reform bill, ANCOR asks you to call on your Senators to ensure that the direct care workforce, which includes DSPs, is designated as a "high priority" research area for the proposed National Health Care Workforce Commission. The Senate health reform bill already contains a provision that establishes a National Health Care Workforce Commission, but we need to make sure DSPs aren’t left out from this Commission’s work!

Ask your Senators: Urge Senator Reid to include the Kohl, Casey, Feingold amendment in the final Senate health care legislation designating the direct care workforce as a high priority research area for the proposed National Health Care Workforce Commission. This no-cost amendment will ensure that the Commission will review the current and projected workforce needs of direct care workers and provide comprehensive recommendations to Congress and the Administration on how best to align direct care workforce resources with our national needs.

Use ANCOR’s Action Center to call your Senator.

Please contact Jessica Sadowsky (jsadowsky@ancor.org) or Mary Pauline Jones (mpjones@ancor.org) if you have any questions.

Read more!

Senate Health Care Reform Floor Debate at Standstill; Additional Provisions Unknown

The Senate Democrat’s race to pass a health care reform bill by Christmas is on hold while the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzes their latest batch of proposals to be considered as part of a “manger’s amendment.” The CBO analysis will likely not be completed before next week. Deep secrecy surrounds the manager’s amendment provisions and discussions about unresolved aspects of the health reform bill. The amendment may address concerns of moderate Democrats in components that have yet to be worked out. It is likely that statutory language for a new Federal option managed by the Office of Personnel Management and a new Medicare buy in for individuals age 55-64 will be included. Provisions related to employers’ role in health coverage are also rumored to be included. Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) will not bring the bill to a vote until he has secured 60 senators to vote in favor of the legislation. Read more!

President Issues Directive to Agencies Requiring Transparency

The Obama Administration released a directive yesterday to all federal agencies requiring them to adapt to a culture of transparency. It imposes a number of deadlines for agencies to publish online high-value data sets (within 45 days), create an Open Government page on each agency’s web site (within 60 days), and publish an Open Government Plan addressing transparency, participation, and collaboration (within 120 days). The directives will create a working group on best practices and an Open Government Dashboard to keep track of progress of all agencies. Read more!

Senate to Officially Reconvene on January 19

The Senate will meet January 5 for a pro forma session following the winter recess and officially convene on January 19, according to a copy of the 2010 calendar.

The chamber will then be in session for a four-week work period until February 12, followed by a four-day recess to observe the Presidents Day holiday. The 2010 schedule includes a two-week spring recess falling over Easter and Passover, and breaks for Memorial Day, July Fourth, Columbus Day and Veterans Day weekends. A summer break is scheduled from August 9 to September 10.
Read more!

Conferees Agree to Omnibus Spending Bill

Democrats started to wrap up the FY 2010 appropriations process Tuesday night, assembling a package of six spending bills that the House could adopt as early as this week. A House-Senate conference committee agreed to the $446.8 billion discretionary omnibus, which includes all of the remaining spending bills except Defense. That bill is being held in reserve as a vehicle for other end-of-session Democratic priorities, including aid for the unemployed and other expiring policies. The package includes the Commerce-Justice-Science (HR 2847), Financial Services (HR 3170), Labor-HHS-Education (HR 3293), Military Construction-VA (HR 3082), State-Foreign Operations (HR 3081) and Transportation-HUD (HR 3288) funding bills.

Democrats are working against a December18 deadline, when a “continuing resolution” that is currently temporarily funding the government runs out. Another short-term continuing resolution may be required to finish and give the administration time to review the voluminous legislation. It was not the way Democrats had hoped to wrap up the appropriations process — they planned to avoid the type of eleventh-hour omnibus bills that have been common in previous years, but the process slowed down, particularly in the Senate, with a calendar crowded by health reform legislation.

The package reflects the priorities of the Obama administration and congressional Democrats on a host of domestic and international issues.

ANCOR may be interested to know:

--The Transportation-HUD measure includes $67.9 billion in discretionary funds, a $13.4 billion increase over the fiscal 2009 level, when economic stimulus funds (PL 111-5) are excluded. Overall, the bill would provide $122.1 billion.

--Labor-HHS-Education would be funded at $163.5 billion, an $8.5 billion increase over fiscal 2009, excluding stimulus funds.

Information on line items on programs of ANCOR member interest to follow.


Read more!

50-State Survey Found that ARRA’s Increase in Medicaid FMAP Helped Many States Preserve and Even Expand Medicaid This Year—But Reversals May Come

The Kaiser Family Foundation warned in its December 8th release of its annual 50-state survey of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program states will face another crisis in Medicaid funding when the economic stimulus program ends next year (December 2010). Passed in February, the $787 billion economic recovery initiative provided $89 billion in extra Medicaid funding to states that maintained current eligibility and enrollment rules. The Kaiser foundation said that without another infusion states may scale back Medicaid to deal with budget shortfalls in the upcoming fiscal year. "If fiscal relief is not replenished and Medicaid eligibility is not protected," the report said, "many states are unlikely to withstand the pressure to make substantial cuts." Read more!

Bipartisan Lawmakers to Introduce Legislation to Protect All Children in Schools from Abuse

Representative George Miller (D-CA) and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) will hold a press conference on Wednesday, December 9 to introduce new legislation protecting all children in schools from misuse of restraint and seclusion.

This legislation is the first national effort to prevent and reduce harmful restraint and seclusion in schools. A recent U.S. Government Accountability Office investigation found hundreds of allegations that schoolchildren have been abused, and some even died, as a result of the inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion in classrooms; a disproportionate number of them were children with disabilities. Read more!

VICTORY! Governor Patrick Rescinds Mass Health/Day Hab Cuts

Massachusetts Governor Reverses Budget Cuts for Day Hab Restoring $100 Million in Recent Medicaid Disability Cuts. Thanks to ADDP Exec Gary Blumenthal for sending news of this victory which is on top of ADDP’s October success in defeating a $60 million cut in DD services. Congratulations Gary and ADDP!
Read more!

Amendment Threatens CLASS Act in Senate Bill: Call Your Senator TODAY!

An amendment to the Senate healthcare bill proposed by Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) would strip the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act from final health reform legislation.A total of 51 votes are required to defeat any proposed amendment. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Peter Orszag, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said discussions about the future of the CLASS Act are ongoing, and changes could be made to guarantee the program's long-term solvency. Use ANCOR's Action Center to call your Senators and ask them to make sure the CLASS Act remains in the final health reform bill and to oppose any amendment to strip it from the bill. The CLASS Act will help people to remain independent at home.
Read more!

U.S. Response To Health Threats To Be Reviewed

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced a major review of the government's efforts to develop new protections against pandemics, bioterrorism and other health threats. The review will not just examine the flu, but all public health threats faced today. Sebelius stated, "We'll look for the fastest ways to move to new technologies that will let us quickly produce countermeasures that are more dependable and more robust." The review will be led by Nicole Lurie, assistant secretary for preparedness and response, and will be complete by "early next year," Sebelius said. Read more!

New Co-Sponsor for Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 868)

Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ) signed on as a co-sponsor of the Direct Support Professionals Fairness and Security Act of 2009 (H.R. 868). Thank you to everyone who contacted their representative. Read more!