CKF NEWS & VIEWS
Covering Kids & Families of Indiana Newsletter   
June 22, 2023
POLICY UPDATE
CMS guidance to States as Medicaid and CHIP Redeterminations resume

State efforts began in April to return to normal operations after the continuous enrollment requirement and other protections from the Public Health Emergency ended. CMS released a full report of recommendations last week. 

"The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has worked extensively with state Medicaid agencies to provide guidance on federal requirements, develop strategies to make Medicaid and CHIP renewals easier for people, and troubleshoot operational issues. This has included partnering with health plans, health care providers, federally-qualified health centers, home visiting programs, early childhood providers, advocates, and civil rights, faith-based, health industry, employers, and other community-organizations."
NEWS FROM THE INDIANA SCHOOL HEALTH NETWORK
The 2023 Indiana School Health Network Conference was successful. Thank you to all who planned, presented, exhibited and attended!

Please enjoy some pictures from a jam-packed two days with nearly 600 professionals committed to the health of Hoosier children.
Save the Date for the 2024 Indiana School Health Network Conference.
 
June 4-5, 2024
Embassy Suites Plainfield
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OUTREACH & ENROLLMENT
Updates to FSSA's Website
The Family & Social Services Administration (FSSA) continues to update the “return to normal” website. Recently added:

  • The CMS report for May and an update to the April report
  • Recording and Slides from the June 6th Stakeholder meeting
Unwinding Data
The Family & Social Services Administration (FSSA) reports that in April and May 2023:

  • 130,974 enrollees renewed their coverage
  • 15,666 were determined ineligible
  • 91,003 were disenrolled for procedural reasons

KFF reports that Indiana has the 4th highest number of disenrollments in the country with 85% of the disenrollments due to procedural reasons.
Survey Says
KFF surveyed Medicaid enrollees and found:

  • Most are not aware their state can disenroll them
  • Almost half had never been through the redetermination process
  • One-third have not updated their contact information in the past year
  • Over 40% would not know where to find coverage if they were no longer eligible
  • Nearly 90% said having an expert to help them navigate the process would be “somewhat useful” or “very useful” 
RESOURCES
Affordable Internet Services
The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a federal program that can help families pay for internet services and internet connected devices. It replaced the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) that was established to help people get connected to the internet during the pandemic. There are several ways a household can qualify for ACP including if any person in the household has SNAP, Medicaid, WIC or if the household income is less than 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL). Consumers can apply online or print an application in English, Spanish or 9 other languages. Consumers can also contact their internet provider to see if they participate in the ACP program. ACP’s website offers Community Resources including an outreach toolkit, fliers in multiple languages, and a video about the application process.

Lifeline is a federal discounted phone and internet service program. Families can utilize both programs. 
Data
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a series of data briefs showing the demographic features of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees. Data includes information on race and ethnicity, disability, primary language, and rural vs urban populations. This information is provided in the Health Equity Briefs section.
TRAININGS
Hoosier Housing Stability
Starting in July, Prosperity Indiana is presenting a monthly lunch-and-learn series to educate on the root causes of housing instability and what can be done to increase housing stability.
Prenatal Vaccines in Medicaid & CHIP: Current State Payment Rates and Strategies to Increase Access
Fewer than 1 in 4 pregnant women receive both federally recommended prenatal vaccines. Manatt Health released a white paper and their recent webinar on this topic.
Enrollment Trends

Total Membership increased again in May. With 2,231,726 members, there were 1,106, or 0.05%, more members in May 2023 than in April 2023.
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