The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a revised Medicare Learning Network prescriber’s guide to Medicare prescription drug (Part D) opioid policies. Starting January 1, 2025, CMS is expanding the definition of an exempted patient being treated for cancer pain to include patients undergoing active cancer treatment and cancer survivors.

This Newborn Screening Awareness Month, visit HRSA’s Newborn Screening Information Center for the latest resources. HRSA’s newly updated site has information for both healthcare providers and families. This includes a step-by-step breakdown of the newborn screening process, a description of conditions screened, and links to external support organizations to help families navigate the newborn screening process. All information is available in both English and Spanish.

The Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Reporting Portal opened July 1 and will remain open until Sept. 30, 2024, at 11:59 pm. Providers who received one or more PRF (General or Targeted) and/or American Rescue Plan Rural payments exceeding $10,000, in the aggregate, from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2023, must report on their use of funds during Reporting Period 7 to comply with PRF Reporting Requirements. More information and resources can be found on the PRF Reporting webpage.

In November 2023, 17 hospital associations and 30 providers filed amicus briefs in support of the American Hospital Association’s suit against the restrictions imposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on website tracking. Update: HHS last week dropped an appeal after a federal judge in Texas in June ruled that the department overstepped its authority by blocking hospital and other healthcare provider websites from using standard tracking technologies that capture IP addresses on portions of their public-facing webpages.

All Pennsylvania House representatives and half of state senators will be on the ballot this year, and even though these races receive less media attention than top-of-the-ballot ones, they still have huge determinations. Spotlight PA published a guide to vetting legislative candidates.

Check out HRSA’s new website about the history of the Health Center Program and the people who made it happen. It provides an overview of the program’s rich and eventful history over the course of six decades. From two neighborhood health centers founded in the 1960s, the Health Center Program has grown to approximately 1,400 health centers that operate more than 15,500 service sites in all U.S. states, territories, and the District of Columbia. Health centers are a key part of the nation’s healthcare system, serving more than 31 million people in 2023. You can also download the full report.

This Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) listserv includes the following Medicaid/Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) renewal information:

• Recent CMS Releases
• Additional Updated Outreach and Educational Resources for Partners
• Free CMS Printed Product Ordering

RECENT CMS RELEASES

In August 2024, CMS released an informational bulletin and slide deck to provide additional guidance to states on their obligation to come into compliance with federal regulations on timely processing of Medicaid and CHIP eligibility renewals, as well as provide an update to the timeline in which states must complete unwinding-related renewals. To ensure that individuals who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP retain coverage, and to assist states in their continued transition to regular renewal processing, CMS is providing states additional time to complete eligibility renewals, address persistent backlogs in processing redeterminations, and ensure that states achieve compliance with federal renewal timeliness requirements by December 2025.

• Informational Bulletin: Guidelines for Achieving Compliance with Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Renewal Timeliness Requirements Following the Medicaid and CHIP Unwinding Period
• Slide Deck: Temporary Strategies and Ongoing Practices to Support Timely Medicaid and CHIP Renewal Initiation and Processing

ADDITIONAL UPDATED OUTREACH AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR PARTNERS

This summer, CMS updated several resources on the Medicaid and CHIP Renewals Outreach and Educational Resources to include evergreen language that partners can use to share information about regular Medicaid and CHIP renewals. Additional resources have recently been updated on the webpage (see list below). The webpage can be accessed using the new shorthand link at Medicaid.gov/renewals-outreach-education. We encourage partners to explore the refreshed webpage and resources, and we will continue to highlight additional updates to the webpage and resources as they become available.

Spanish Translation Now Available

• Drop in Article for People who Lost Medicaid or CHIP (English and Spanish): Use this article for listservs, newsletters, and other outreach resources to educate people about what to do if they have lost Medicaid or CHIP.

Refreshed to Include Information About Regular Medicaid and CHIP Renewals

Reaching Out to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander People about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals (English): Use this one-page handout to help reach Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander people and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

Reaching Out to Black Americans about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals (English): Use this one-page handout to help reach Black Americans and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

Reaching Out to Hispanic or Latino People about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals (Englishand Spanish): Use this one-page handout to help reach Hispanic or Latino people and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

Reaching Out to People with Disabilities about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals (English): Use this one-page handout to help reach people with disabilities and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

Reaching Out to People Who Live in Rural Areas about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals(English): Use this one-page handout to help reach people who live in rural areas and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

Reaching Out to American Indian and Alaska Native People about Medicaid and CHIP Renewals (English): Use this one-page handout to help reach American Indian and Alaska Native people and share information about Medicaid and CHIP renewals.

FREE CMS PRINTED PRODUCT ORDERING

Select CMS Medicaid and CHIP renewals materials are available to order for free through the CMS Product Ordering website. To order free printed materials, visit the CMS Product Ordering website. If you do not have an account, you will need to request an account on the login page. Once you log into your account, you can enter the term “Unwinding” in the search bar to view the materials that are available for order.

Materials on enrolling in health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace are also available to order for free through the CMS Product Ordering website. Once you log into your account, you can select the tab titled “Marketplace” to view materials related to Marketplace enrollment, Coverage to Care, and more that are available to order.

With funding support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this project explores the roles of state broadband policy, local leadership, and private investment in expanding broadband infrastructure and coverage in rural areas.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a revised Medicare Learning Network prescriber’s guide to Medicare prescription drug (Part D) opioid policies. Starting January 1, 2025, CMS is expanding the definition of an exempted patient being treated for cancer pain to include patients undergoing active cancer treatment and cancer survivors.