Medicaid Expansion & the Health Insurance Marketplace

In partnership with Connect for Health Colorado, the Department of Heath Care Policy and Financing convened a series of meetings with stakeholders to discuss the issues related to the movement between public and private coverage through these new programs.  The following questions were raised during the series of stakeholder meetings. Click here to review the questions and answers related to the movement between Medicaid and the new health insurance marketplace.

August Issue of On the Horizon

August 2013 Issue of On the Horizon.  "The purpose of this newsletter is to keep you informed about CHP+ Family Medicaid (including Children's Buy-In), and Adult Medicaid (specifically the Adult Buy-In and Adults without Dependent Children) programs."  [Source:  HCPF]

Zooming In On Health Reform: a new online tool from the Kaiser Family Foundation

"A new online tool released 7/31/13 by the Kaiser Family Foundation provides detailed projections on the impact of the Affordable Care Act on Medicaid enrollment and the uninsured in local communities across the nation. The tool is one of several interactive offerings on the Foundation's recently redesigned website that can help people understand key elements of the health reform law, its implications and its implementation.

Zooming In On Health Reform:  Understanding the Potential Impact of the ACA on Medicaid and the Uninsured at the Local Level, the new interactive infographic, and a companion brief, State and Local Coverage Change under Fill Implementation of the Affordable Care Act, reveal substantial geographic variations in the law's impact.

The tool's interactive map allow users to identify communities that could experience the largest declines in the uninsured and where the remaining uninsured populations are likely to be concentrated, as well as to identify key local areas for enrollment outreach. Users can enter zip codes or place names to compare different states, counties, and localities, and to examine the characteristics of the changing Medicaid and uninsured populations by race, age, gender and language spoken at home, and to assess the impact going forward with the optional Medicaid expansion for a state. The tool's estimates reflect the projected impact if all states were to undertake the expansion.

For more information about the "Zooming In" tool and other Kaiser resources related to health reform, visit:  http://kff.org/health-reform/"  [Source:  CCI Voice]

Social Impact Bonds in Denver and Colorado

"Denver Mayor Hancock and Governor Hickenlooper are committed to recognizing innovative solutions to the delivery of public services and funding programs that are proven to work. To that end, the Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships and Governor's Office of Policy and Research are currently evaluating the feasibility of Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) in Denver and Colorado.

SIBs seek to harness the ingenuity of the public, private, and philanthropic sectors in order to (1) give service providers the upfront capital they need to be innovative, (2) produce independent evaluations that fully examine a program's effectiveness, and (3) directly connect proven programs with the government's ability and commitment to bring programs to scale.

The Denver Office of Strategic Partnerships, the Governor's Office of Policy and Research, and the Colorado Nonprofit Association invite you to an informal discussion about the concept of SIBs. We ask for your ideas and suggestions on the possible application of SIBs in Denver and Colorado.

Please join us for this important event Monday, August 12th from 10:00-11:30am, 789 Sherman St. Reservations are requested." [Source: Colorado Nonprofit Association]

Department of Health Care Policy and Financing July Issue of At a Glance

The July At A Glance publication provides information on major initiatives including policy changes and program updates from the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

Invitation to Dental Benefits Collaborative Meeting

"The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing is convening a series of stakeholder meetings in response to:

• The passage of SB13-242 by the Colorado General Assembly, which adds preventative dental services for adults to the list of optional services provided under Medicaid; and
• The Department's desire to resume the Benefits Collaborative discussion of the Children's Orthodontia benefit; and
• Authorization through Senate Bill 13-230 (the Long Bill) to fund the creation of a Dental Administrative Service Organization (ASO) and the associated reprogramming of the MMIS system to manage dental benefits; and
• The Department's goal of enhancing the Children's Medicaid Dental Benefit package.

The initial Dental Benefits Collaborative kick-off meeting will be held:  

Friday, August 9, 1:00-3:00p.m.
COPIC Building, Mile High Conference Room.
7351 E. Lowry Blvd, Denver, CO 80230

Meeting Objectives:

• Define the stakeholder role in the development/re-development of each benefit
• Review the benefit design and implementation process, including future Benefit Collaborative meeting dates and the general benefit areas to be discussed at each meeting
• Provide background on authorizing legislation
• Review potential service delivery model

Click here for more information including the agenda, presentation, meeting schedule, and information on how to attend the meeting via telephone.  All members of the public are welcome to attend."  [Source:  HCPF]

CU Offers Well Body Toolkit

The Behavioral Health and Wellness Program (BHWP) at the University of Colorado School of Medicine provides a number of free toolkits including the Dimensions:  Well Body Toolkit for Healthcare Providers. This toolkit is designed for a broad continuum of healthcare providers, including direct providers, administrators and healthcare organizations and educates about the importance of maintaining a healthy weight, motivational interviewing and skills for engaging in weight management conversations, assessing readiness for behavior change, and evidence based treatment options.

The Well Body Toolkit contains a variety of information and step-by-step instructions about:

• Weight and health
• Assessment and planning for change
• Evidence-based treatments
• Maintaining a health body weight
• Weight management resources

This toolkit, along with other resources including Tobacco Cessation toolkits and supplements for priority populations, are located on the BHWP website.  [Source:  COPrevent]