Effective December 27, 2020, migrants under the Compact of Free Association (COFA) may be newly eligible for Medicaid if they meet all of the eligibility criteria in their state. COFA migrants are generally citizens of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Republic of Palau who are lawfully residing in one of the U.S. states or territories. Under the new eligibility criteria, COFA migrants are now considered qualified non-citizens (QNC) for the purposes of Medicaid eligibility and do not have to wait for five years after receiving their status before qualifying for Medicaid coverage, if otherwise eligible. This policy change does not apply to coverage through separate Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) programs, except for states that have elected to cover children and/or pregnant women in CHIP under the CHIPRA 214 option.

Currently, COFA migrants who apply at the Federally-Facilitated Exchange (FFE) will not be found eligible for Medicaid, as the system does not consider COFA migrants to be QNCs for purposes of Medicaid eligibility. Instead, COFA migrants may be found eligible for Marketplace coverage with advance payments of the premium tax credit (APTC) or cost-sharing reductions (CSRs), if otherwise eligible. CMS is actively working on system changes to determine correct eligibility for these consumers at the Marketplace, and anticipates a release in early summer 2021.

Until the system changes at the FFE are finalized, CMS recommends that consumers apply directly with their state Medicaid agencies to determine their eligibility for Medicaid. Once consumers receive a determination of eligibility for Medicaid, they should return to the Marketplace to end their QHP coverage with financial assistance if they are found eligible for Medicaid and do not want to pay full cost for their share of the Marketplace coverage. This is because consumers who are enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP that counts as qualifying coverage (also known as minimum essential coverage, or MEC), are not eligible for APTC or CSRs to help pay for the cost of a Marketplace plan premium and covered services. The FFE will not take action on a consumer’s behalf to end their Marketplace coverage if they are found to be Medicaid eligible by their state due to this policy update.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra announced commitments from national organizations to support Latino outreach and enrollment efforts during the current Special Enrollment Period (SEP) made available on HealthCare.gov by President Biden due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. As part of the Latino Week of Action April 18 – 24, these organizations and HHS will share information with Latino consumers and use social media to encourage them to enroll in affordable, quality health plans through HealthCare.gov.

“Helping communities take advantage of reduced costs on quality health care coverage is a priority for this Department. In addition to putting our money where our mouth is, we are partnering with key organizations representing the Latino community to engage their knowledge and network to promote enrollment in quality, affordable health insurance coverage during this Special Enrollment Period,” said HHS Secretary Becerra. “To the many Latinos who may have lost health care coverage during the pandemic, I am here to tell you that ‘help is here.’ Health care coverage is more affordable for people and assistance is available if you need help finding a health plan that best meets your needs.”

• To read the HHS press release in Spanish, visit: HHS Press Release Spanish.
• To read the HHS press release in English, visit: HHS Press Release English

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced the availability of $2.7 million in funding for entities to deliver employment support services to individuals in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD) seeking to enter the workforce.

“A key component to an individual’s sustained recovery is steady, reliable employment,” said DDAP Secretary Jen Smith. “To date, we have significantly expanded access to treatment, and we are starting to shift our focus to the entire continuum of care. These grants will enable organizations to give individuals the necessary tools to succeed after treatment and empower their recovery.”

The grants are part of $55 million in federal funding awarded to Pennsylvania through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Program COVID-19 Supplemental Awards. The funding spending plan submitted by DDAP is currently pending approval by SAMHSA. More information will be shared about this funding and supporting projects as it becomes available.

Eligible applicants can find the grant application and project summary on the DDAP website here. Five to eight grants will be awarded up to $400,000 for a wide variety of eligible items, including:

• Vocational assessments;
• Resume writing;
• Interviewing skills;
• Job placement; and
• Transportation assistance related to employment.

All applications must be submitted via email to RA-DAGrantsMgmt@pa.gov by 12:00PM on Monday, May 17, 2021. Applications will be competitively reviewed and scored based upon the applicant’s adherence to the funding announcement guidelines, and timely submission to DDAP. Additionally, awarding of the funds is contingent upon the approval of DDAP’s funding spending plan by SAMHSA.

Questions regarding the grants and the application process should be forwarded to RA-DAGrantsMgmt@pa.gov.

Throughout the Wolf Administration’s second term, DDAP is placing a heavy focus on reducing stigma associated with substance use disorder, intensifying primary prevention efforts, strengthening treatment systems, and empowering sustained recovery. The aim of these efforts, laid out in DDAP’s 2019-2022 State Plan, will be to positively influence the knowledge and behavior around the topic of addiction.

For more information about the work the Wolf Administration is doing to combat the opioid crisis, visit pa.gov/opioids.

As part of the HHS Initiative to Improve Maternal Health launched in December, the HHS Office of Minority Health created a new, free and accredited e-learning program to help clinicians and staff deliver services that respect a patient’s culture and language preferences. Find more information here.

CMS published proposed changes to how Medicare pays for services and measures quality of care for four types of providers in FY 2022:  Skilled Nursing Facilities, Hospice Providers, Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities, and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities.  These rules also include Requests for Information on ways to attain health equity for all patients and the use of Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standards to digitally submit quality information.

The National Quality Forum (NQF) released an overview of policies and quality measures related to telehealth, healthcare system readiness, and rural health outcomes during and after disasters. The review of these policies will inform a new framework for measuring the quality of care provided by telehealth in rural areas.  NQF members and the public are invited to submit comments by 6:00 pm ET on Friday, May 7.