From September 7-9, CMS hosted an intense three-day conference on the proposed eligibility rules for Medicaid and the Exchanges that CMS (here and here) and IRS released in August. The agencies presented a full menu of detailed information on the rules. read more
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Highlights from the Second Round of Exchange Establishment Grants
HHS announced the latest round of establishment grant awardees on August 12, 2011. Thirteen additional states and the District of Columbia have now received grants to establish Exchanges, bringing the total to seventeen. The grant application requires states to address eleven core areas identified by HHS in which states are expected to carry out activities. read more
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Flipping the Script on State Eligibility Processes
State Refor(u)m Sets Eyes on South by Southwest
Just as all of you have joined State Refor(u)m to share implementation resources and successes, the State Refor(u)m team is eager to share this online network with a wider community. We’ve applied to showcase State Refor(u)m in a panel presentation at the influential South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive festival. We want others in government and technology to know how states can work together openly and efficiently online. read more
If You Build It, They Will Come: State Health Reform Implementation Websites
A previous blog post highlighted how useful it can be for states to develop websites showcasing state health reform implementation activities. More than just a space to host documents and fact sheets, websites are prime real estate for soliciting meaningful involvement from the general public. read more
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Open Mic: State Officials Respond to Proposed Exchange Regulations
Last week I spoke with Norm Thurston, Health Reform Implementation Coordinator of Utah, and Joan Henneberry, Director of Exchange Planning at the Colorado Health Institute, to get their initial reactions to the recently released Exchange regulations from HHS. read more
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18 First Steps Forward For State Exchanges
Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, 18 states have taken the first step toward building an Exchange by passing Exchange enabling legislation or issuing an executive order to study the merits of creating an Exchange. The State Refor(u)m team has developed a new resource deconstructing these provisions. read more
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Reducing Disparities: Ideas for States
$337 billion. That’s how much higher rates of chronic disease among Africans Americans and Hispanics relative to non-Hispanic whites will cost the country over the ten-year period from 2009-2018, according to a 2009 Urban Institute report. These dollar costs arise from disturbing human costs. read more
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Keeping an Eye On the Ball in New Mexico
At the state level, implementation of the Affordable Care Act has required robust coordination among a variety of actors and stakeholders, both inside and outside of state government. New Mexico recently shared on State Refor(u)m how it is coordinating the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. read more
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Reviewing the Proposed Exchange Regulations? Let State Refor(u)m Help
Two eagerly awaited health reform draft regulations are out, and stakeholders are busy reviewing them and considering the possible implications. Analyzing and preparing to comment on draft federal regulations is always a big job. But this time, State Refor(u)m is providing an online space to make this work a more collaborative and dynamic process, with the potential for richer and sharper feedback to federal regulators. read more
