The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is announcing a new Affordable Connectivity Program landing page at GetInternet.gov. The transition of GetInternet.gov to the new landing page occurred on the evening of May 3.  AffordableConnectivity.gov will continue to exist as a resource for consumers and digital navigators and contain more detailed information about the Affordable Connectivity Program.

The FCC continues its efforts to promote the Affordable Connectivity Program by providing grants to community partners, providing additional support for navigators who help eligible consumers enroll, and developing paid and earned media strategies to increase public awareness.

The FCC chose to utilize GetInternet.gov as the URL for consumer information and advertising about the Affordable Connectivity Program because it is simple and memorable, communicates what the program is about, serves as a call to action for eligible consumers, and links consumers directly to the application.  The information previously available at GetInternet.gov will continue to be available by accessing whitehouse.gov/getinternet.

 Questions?

Further questions regarding today’s announcement can be directed to Jamile Kadre at Jamile.Kadre@fcc.gov.

For general Affordable Connectivity Program questions, please contact ACPinfo@fcc.gov.

In March 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily waived certain Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) requirements and conditions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The easing of these requirements was referred to as the ‘Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Condition,’ and it helped prevent people with Medicaid and CHIP from losing their health coverage during the pandemic.

The Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Condition ended on March 31, 2023, and states are now returning to regular operations, including restarting full Medicaid and CHIP eligibility renewals and terminations of coverage for individuals who are no longer eligible. Some states began terminating Medicaid enrollment for individuals no longer eligible as of April 1, 2023. On February 24, 2023, CMS posted the anticipated state timelines for initiating unwinding-related renewals on the Unwinding and Returning to Regular Operations after COVID-19 webpage.

NEW MEDICAID AND CHIP RESOURCES FOR PARTNERS

CMS has developed a variety of tools and materials for partners to help ensure that people enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP know what steps to complete regardless of where they are in the Medicaid and CHIP renewal process. All of these resources can be found on the recently updated Medicaid.gov/Unwinding webpage. These resources will help CMS partners educate Medicaid and CHIP enrollees on steps they need to take and when.

• Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Renewals Communications Toolkit: The Unwinding Communications Toolkit has been updated with new materials for Phase II, including social media posts and graphics, a drop-in article, a Partner Tip Sheet, and factsheets on different coverage options.
• Unwinding Toolkit Supporting Materials: This zip folder contains downloadable versions of the materials featured in the Toolkit, including social media graphics, flyers, postcards, the Tip Sheet, and more.
• Medicaid and CHIP Renewals Webpage: A webpage designed for people enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP to help them prepare to renew their coverage. The page includes an interactive map with each state Medicaid office’s website and other contact information.
• Unwinding Speaking Request Form: Submit a request to have someone from HHS or CMS speak about Medicaid Unwinding at an upcoming event.

The complete Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility Renewals Communications Toolkit is available in Spanish, and select materials are available in five additional languages, which include:

• Chinese
• Hindi
• Korean
• Tagalog
• Vietnamese

All flyers, cards, and other handouts in the Medicaid Unwinding Toolkit Supporting Materials zip folder are available in Spanish. Select materials have also been translated to Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. These materials include:

• Phase I Medicaid Unwinding Non-fillable Flyer
• Phase II Medicaid Unwinding Factsheet
• Phase II Post Card

The information on the Medicaid and CHIP Renewals page is also now available in Spanish.

UPDATES TO HEALTHCARE.GOV (MARKETPLACE INSURANCE)

The HealthCare.gov homepage was recently updated to highlight information for those who may be losing Medicaid or CHIP. Consumers can find information about health insurance coverage options and see if they qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP).

Information has also been added to CuidadoDeSalud.gov.

UPCOMING PARTNER WEBINARS

HHS and CMS continue to host a series of monthly webinars on Medicaid and CHIP Continuous Enrollment Unwinding to educate partners. Topics covered during the webinar vary each month. Webinars take place the fourth Wednesday of each month from 12:00pm – 1:00pm ET. Register for upcoming webinars here.

Recordings, transcripts, and slides from past webinars can be found on the CMS National Stakeholder Calls webpage

During May, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (CMS OMH) recognizes National Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month.

Throughout this month, and the entire year, CMS OMH is working to highlight disparities for Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islanders who account for more than 7% of the U.S. population, with Asian Americans being the fastest-growing race group in the United States. Between 2017 and 2019, the population of Asian Americans enrolled in Medicare grew by 11%, which was the highest percentage increase in enrollment compared to White, Black, and Hispanic enrollees.

However, nearly one-third of Asian Americans have limited English proficiency. CMS OMH’s Coverage to Care (C2C) initiative is working to close health literacy gaps and eliminate barriers to health care by helping AANHPI enrollees understand their health coverage and connect to primary care and preventive services. C2C resources are available in multiple languages—including Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese— to help individuals make informed decisions and become active partners in their health care and the health care of their families.

As the number of AANHPI Medicare enrollees grows, we are working to ensure these populations can effectively access the health care they need through policy and equity initiatives. Throughout the month of May, CMS OMH encourages you to share the below resources with the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations you serve.

Resources:

• Review the Understanding the Health Needs of Diverse Groups of Asian and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Medicare Beneficiaries data highlight, which includes data on self-rated general health status, days with activity limitations, prevalence of depression and obesity, and sleep health in AANHPI populations.
• Download the C2C Roadmap to Better Care, which explains what health coverage is and how to use it to get primary care and preventive services. The Roadmap to Behavioral Health, which highlights mental health and substance use services is also available for download. Both resources are available in 9 languages, including Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.
• Share the C2C Enrollment Toolkit designed to support community partners, assisters, and others who help consumers enroll in health insurance coverage or change their health plan.
• View the Asian American, Native Hawaiians, & Pacific Islanders Fact Sheet, which includes population data and trends in this population’s health insurance coverage.
• Read the Medicare & You handbook in Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.

Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander webpage to find behavioral health resources specific to these populations.

Sandra Lane said she has been to the emergency room about eight times this year. The 62-year-old has had multiple falls, struggled with balance and tremors, and experienced severe swelling in her legs free.

A paramedic recently arrived at her doorstep again, but this time it wasn’t for an emergency. Jason Frye was there for a home visit as part of a new community paramedicine program.

Frye showed up in an SUV, not an ambulance. He carried a large black medical bag into Lane’s mobile home, which is on the eastern edge of the city, across from open fields and train tracks that snake between the region’s massive open-pit coal mines. Lane sat in an armchair as Frye took her blood pressure, measured her pulse, and hooked her up to a heart-monitoring machine.

“What matters to you in terms of health, goals?” Frye said.

Lane said she wants to become healthy enough to work, garden, and ride her motorcycle again.

Frye, a 44-year-old Navy veteran and former oil field worker, promised to help Lane sign up for physical therapy and offered to find an anti-slip grab bar for her shower.

Community paramedicine allows paramedics to use their skills outside of emergency settings. The goal is to help patients access care, maintain or improve their health, and reduce their dependence on costly ambulance rides and ER visits.

Read more.

Newly proposed standards and requirements would better ensure access to care, accountability, and transparency for Medicaid or CHIP services, including home and community-based services. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled two notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRMs), Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services (Access NPRM) and Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality (Managed Care NPRM), that together would further strengthen access to and quality of care across Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the nation’s largest health coverage programs. These rules build on Medicaid’s already strong foundation as an essential program for millions of families and individuals, especially children, pregnant people, older adults, and people with disabilities.

If adopted as proposed, the rules would establish historic national standards for access to care regardless of whether that care is provided through managed care plans or directly by states through fee-for-service (FFS). Specifically, they would establish access standards through Medicaid or CHIP managed care plans, as well as transparency for Medicaid payment rates to providers, including hourly rates and compensation for certain home care and other direct care workers. The rules would also establish other access standards for transparency and accountability, and empower beneficiary choice.

“The Biden-Harris Administration has made clear where we stand: we believe all Americans deserve the peace of mind that having health care coverage brings,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We are proposing important actions to remove barriers to care, engage consumers, and improve access to services for all children and families enrolled in these critical programs. One in four Americans and over half of all children in the country are enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP – and the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to protecting and strengthening these programs for future generations.”

“Having health care coverage is fundamental to reducing health disparities, but it must go hand-in-hand with timely access to services. Connecting those priorities lies at the heart of these proposed rules,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. “With the provisions we’ve outlined, we’re poised to bring Medicaid or CHIP coverage and access together in unprecedented ways – a key priority that’s long overdue for eligible program participants who still face barriers connecting to care.”

Covering nearly one in four Americans and over half of all children in the country, Medicaid is the single largest health coverage program in the U.S. Medicaid and CHIP provide robust benefits with little to no out-of-pocket costs for over 92 million people. Many of those enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP come from underserved communities whose populations have disproportionately higher uninsured rates, and who often experience chronic health issues. Over 70 percent of people with Medicaid or CHIP coverage are enrolled in managed care plans. Ensuring families and individuals can find an in-network provider and access health care coverage in a timely way is a foundational principle of health equity, and a critical priority for the Biden-Harris Administration.

Together, the Access NPRM and Managed Care NPRM include new and updated proposed requirements for states and managed care plans that would establish tangible, consistent access standards, and a consistent way to transparently review and assess Medicaid payment rates across states. The rule also proposes standards to allow enrollees to easily compare plans based on quality and access to providers through the state’s website. Other highlights from the proposed rules include:

• Establishing national maximum standards for certain appointment wait times for Medicaid or CHIP managed care enrollees, and stronger state monitoring and reporting requirements related to access and network adequacy for Medicaid or CHIP managed care plans, which now cover the majority of Medicaid or CHIP beneficiaries.
• Requiring states to conduct independent secret shopper surveys of Medicaid or CHIP managed care plans to verify compliance with appointment wait time standards and to identify where provider directories are inaccurate.
• Creating new payment transparency requirements for states by requiring disclosure of provider payment rates in both fee-for-service and managed care, with the goal of greater insight into how Medicaid payment levels affect access to care.
• Establishing additional transparency and interested party engagement requirements for setting Medicaid payment rates for home and community-based services (HCBS), as well as a requirement that at least 80 percent of Medicaid payments for personal care, homemaker, and home health aide services be spent on compensation for direct care workers (as opposed to administrative overhead or profit).
• Creating timeliness-of-access measures for HCBS and strengthening necessary safeguards to ensure beneficiary health and welfare as well as promote health equity.
• Strengthening how states use state Medical Care Advisory Committees, through which stakeholders provide guidance to state Medicaid agencies about health and medical care services, to ensure all states are using these committees optimally to realize a more effective and efficient Medicaid program that is informed by the experiences of Medicaid beneficiaries, their caretakers, and other interested parties.
• Requiring states to conduct enrollee experience surveys in Medicaid managed care annually for each managed care plan to gather input directly from enrollees.
• Establishing a framework for states to implement a Medicaid or CHIP quality rating system, a “one-stop-shop” for enrollees to compare Medicaid or CHIP managed care plans based on quality of care, access to providers, covered benefits and drugs, cost, and other plan performance indicators.

For fact sheets about the Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services NPRM, please see:

Summary of CMS’s Access-Related Notices of Proposed  Rulemaking: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/summary-cmss-access-related-notices-proposed-rulemaking-ensuring-access-medicaid-services-cms-2442-p

Summary of Medicaid and CHIP Payment-Related Provisions: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/summary-medicaid-and-chip-payment-related-provisions-ensuring-access-medicaid-services-cms-2442-p

Summary of Key Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Provisions: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/ensuring-access-medicaid-services-cms-2442-p-notice-proposed-rulemaking

Summary of the Medical Care Advisory Committee and Beneficiary Advisory Group Provisions: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/ensuring-access-medicaid-services-cms-2442-p-notice-proposed-rulemaking

For a fact sheet about the Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality NPRM, please see:

https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/notice-proposed-rulemaking-medicaid-and-childrens-health-insurance-program-chip-managed-care-access

Both NPRMs can be downloaded from the Federal Register at https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection.

CMS looks forward to receiving feedback on both during the public comment period, which ends July 3, 2023.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small announced that USDA is inviting applications for grants to strengthen rural cooperatives and expand access to new and better markets for people in rural America.

USDA is making the $5.8 million in grants available under the Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) program to start, improve or expand rural cooperatives and other mutually owned businesses that will help
improve economic conditions in rural areas.

Nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education are eligible to apply for grants to provide technical and cooperative development assistance to individuals and rural businesses.

The maximum award is $200,000. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis through a national competition.

To learn more, read full Stakeholder Announcement.