For First Time, Grants For Medicaid, CHIP Target Those Who Are Pregnant

Modern Healthcare: CMS: $49M In Grants To Boost Medicaid, CHIP Enrollment
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services opened $49.4 million in grant funding Thursday to advance Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program enrollment and retention among kids, parents and pregnant individuals. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said during a Thursday call with reporters that this is the first time Medicaid and CHIP enrollment retention grants have targeted pregnant individuals as well. Organizations including state and local governments, tribal organizations, not-for-profits, schools and more can apply to receive up to $1.5 million each over three years to help more children gain health coverage. Applications will be open until March 28. (Goldman, 1/27)

In other Medicaid and Medicare news —

Kansas City Star: Republicans Seek To Block KanCare Changes Through 2026 
Kansas Republicans, seeking to limit Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s authority in an election year or beyond, want to bar the state from making any material changes to its Medicaid program until 2026 and block the administration from renegotiating key contracts that expire next year. “Idea is to give the next administration a clean slate to put whomever’s stamp on (the contracts),” Rep. Brenda Landwehr, a Wichita Republican said. The “whomever” Republicans would like to see is Attorney General Derek Schmidt, the only GOP candidate currently running against Kelly. While the bill freezes Medicaid until 2026, an amendment contemplated by Landwehr would allow changes with legislative permission. (Bernard, 1/27)

News 5 Cleveland: Changes Coming To How Ohio Medicaid Users Pick Plans
If you are one of the roughly one in four Ohioans who get their health coverage through the state’s Medicaid program there are changes coming your way this year that will require you to play an active role in selecting your coverage each year from here on out. The “Next Generation” overhaul set to launch in July gets rid of the automatic re-enrollment and has been three years in the making. (Kosich, 1/27)

KHN: Medicare Patients Win The Right To Appeal Gap In Nursing Home Coverage 
A three-judge federal appeals court panel in Connecticut has likely ended an 11-year fight against a frustrating and confusing rule that left hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries without coverage for nursing home care, and no way to challenge a denial. The Jan. 25 ruling, which came in response to a 2011 class-action lawsuit eventually joined by 14 beneficiaries against the Department of Health and Human Services, will guarantee patients the right to appeal to Medicare for nursing home coverage if they were admitted to a hospital as an inpatient but were switched to observation care, an outpatient service. (Jaffe, 1/28)

FiercePharma: Biogen Boosts Aduhelm Confirmatory Trial Amid Fight For Wider Medicare Coverage
Biogen plans to power up an FDA-mandated postmarketing study of Alzheimer’s disease drug Aduhelm—a trial that could be the main revenue source for the controversial medicine for years to come if a Medicare coverage policy is finalized. The Aduhelm confirmatory trial, dubbed ENVISION, will enroll 1,500 early Alzheimer’s patients instead of the previously announced 1,300, Biogen said. The planned increase is meant to “further strengthen the data the study will provide,” the company added. (Liu, 1/27)

In related news —

AP: Delay Of Washington's Long-Term Care Program Signed Into Law
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Thursday signed into law an 18-month delay of the state’s new long-term care program that creates a defined benefit to help offset the costs of such care. His signature comes a day after lawmakers gave final approval to the move amid concerns about the program’s solvency and criticisms about elements of the underlying law, including people close to retirement who would pay in but not receive the benefit. (La Corte, 1/28)