Grants and Demonstrations
The ACA provides funding opportunities to transform how health care is delivered, expand access to care and support healthcare workforce training.
Grant Activity
9/15/11 Secretary Sebelius announced awards totaling $10 million to 129 organizations that would like to become community health centers, through planning grant funds made available under §10503 of the Affordable Care Act. The Trustees of Noble Hospital, Inc. in Westfield, MA received $80,000 under this initiative. For more information, please click here.
9/20/11 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded $109 million in a second round of grant awards under ACA §1003 that will "help fight unreasonable premium increases and protect consumers." Massachusetts was one of 28 states and the District of Columbia to receive a grant. The amount awarded to the Massachusetts Division of Insurance totaled $3,385,165. These funds will be allocated towards expanding the scope of rate review, improving rate filing requirements, improving transparency and consumer interfaces, hiring new staff and improving IT. For more information regarding this award, please click here.
Guidance
9/16/11 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final rule on Medicaid recovery audit contractors (RACs) (§6411). Medicaid RACs are responsible for assisting states with identifying improper payments. This final rule provides guidance to States related to Federal/State funding of State start-up, operation and maintenance costs of Medicaid RACs and the payment methodology for State payments to Medicaid RACs. To see the final rule, please click here.
9/19/11 In the blog section of Healthcare.gov, Steve Larsen, Director of the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, described the Affordable Insurance Exchange "Partnership Options" Opportunities initiative that will give states choices in how to plan for the Exchange when the Affordable Care Act is fully implemented in 2014. States will be able to choose their role in the Partnership Exchange from three basic options. For more information, please click here.
News
9/16/2011 In the Fact Sheet section of Healthcare.gov, enrollment numbers in the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan were released as of July 31, 2011. In the release, it states, "The Affordable Care Act created the new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP) program to make health insurance available to Americans denied coverage by private insurance companies because of a pre-existing condition." There is one Massachusetts resident who is enrolled in this program. Healthcare.gov notes that Massachusetts (and Vermont with zero enrollees) are guaranteed-issue states where existing commercial plans already offer guaranteed coverage at premiums comparable to PCIP. For more information, please click here.
Upcoming Events
Next Quarterly Stakeholder Meeting
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Implementation meeting
Monday October 17, 2011 from 11:00 A.M.- 12:00 P.M.
1 Ashburton Place, 21st floor, Boston
Dual Eligibles in Massachusetts: A Profile of Health Care Services and Spending for Non-Elderly Adults Enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid
External Event sponsored by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI), a program of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation.
September 26th, 2011
9:00 - 9:30 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:30 - 11:00 AM Program
Omni Parker House, Kennedy Room
60 School Street
Boston, MA
Space for this event is limited. Please RSVP to MMPI@mjhcomm.com by September 21, 2011.
Consumer Focused Meeting
Integrating Medicare and Medicaid for Dual Eligible Individuals
September 27, 2011, 10 am- 12 pm
1 Ashburton Place, 21st Floor, Conference Room 3
Boston, MA
*please note the date change for the September meeting.
Open Meeting
Integrating Medicare and Medicaid for Dual Eligible Individuals
October 11, 2011, 10 am- 12 pm
State Transportation Building
Conference Rooms 2 & 3, Second Floor
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA
