County Connections Newsletter |
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This Department of Health Care Policy & Financing newsletter is designed to inform county directors, management and staff about county performance, policy changes, process updates, upcoming due dates, and more |
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Message from the Executive Director |
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The team at the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (the Department) wants you to know we are here for you during the COVID-19 pandemic! During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Department will likely serve more than 2 million Coloradans at some point - about one-third of the population - while serving nearly 1.4 million members this calendar year. This coverage provides access to affordable care and greater peace of mind during this incredibly difficult time.
The federal government has extended the public health emergency through at least Oct. 25, and may extend it further. That means members whose coverage has been extended through the public health emergency under the Continuous Coverage provision are covered until at least Oct. 31, 2020. We have asked our federal partners for at least two months' notice so we can provide as much notice as possible to our members whose coverage or benefits may be changing and to the counties and Medical Assistance Sites who process eligibility redeterminations. As we mentioned last month, some new co-pays will go into effect following the end of the public health emergency period, but not until we receive federal approval and not before January 2021.
The Department recently partnered with Connect for Health Colorado and the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment’s Unemployment Insurance Division on a health coverage survey to find out where individuals who have lost their jobs are getting health coverage. I’d like to share with you some of the results and ask for your help as we try to keep Coloradans connected to health coverage during this global pandemic. One of the key findings was that 19.33% of respondents did not have health coverage and that 46% of those also responded that they plan to stay uninsured. Those are worrisome statistics at any time, but are especially concerning during a pandemic!
We appreciate your help reaching and messaging to Colorado’s uninsureds to connect them to coverage. Feel free to use the resources available at CO.gov/hcpf/HereForYou.
In other Department news, we are also very excited that our non-emergent medical transportation (NEMT) benefit has officially launched statewide. You can learn more at healthfirstcolorado.com/nemt.
Also, we invite you to watch for the new and improved Health First Colorado mobile app launching Aug. 30 with a new look and feel, and exciting new features! The app is for Health First Colorado and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) members, and replaces the PEAKHealth app. Members can download the new app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, and will need a PEAK account login to use the new app. We made these changes in response to our members’ feedback, and members were involved in the design process.
Over the coming months, we will share our members’ stories with you. They are truly inspiring and speak to the importance of our programs. Take a minute to be inspired! Here is Beth's story of how Health First Colorado has helped her and her son thrive.
Last, we are social distancing and wearing our masks in public as Governor Jared Polis has asked; thank you for joining us in setting the example for others to follow to keep our fellow Coloradans healthy, especially as kids head back to school. We are all in this together! You can learn more at covid19.colorado.gov. Stay safe and healthy, and thank you for all you do to support our Department and those we serve. We are deeply appreciative of the partnership we share.
Kim Bimestefer
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Non-Emergent Medical Transportation (NEMT) Statewide Expansion Update and Resources |
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NEMT is a Health First Colorado benefit for members who don't have transportation to medical appointments. NEMT was previously administered by different vendors in different parts of the state, but soon NEMT will be the same in all areas of the state.
County Resources
The purpose of this operational memo is to inform county departments of human/social services and NEMT administrators of operational instructions to transition NEMT duties to IntelliRide, the new statewide NEMT vendor.
Printable Resources
Provided by the Department:
Provided by IntelliRide:
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Healthy Communities Transition to Accountable Care Collaborative |
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Effective July 1, 2020, the Department transitioned the work of the Healthy Communities Program to the Department's Regional Accountable Entities (RAEs).
Historically, the Healthy Communities program provided outreach to newly enrolled families with children under the age of 21 and pregnant women enrolled in Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+). Moving forward, this outreach will be performed by the RAEs and Managed Care Organizations (MCEs) as it aligns well with their existing work and provides cost savings opportunities.
We would like to thank the many Health Communities staff members and partners who worked so hard to help improve the lives and health of the people we serve.
RAEs will now handle Health First Colorado member questions concerning providers and benefits. County departments of human/social services will answer questions about member applications and eligibility status. CHP+ customer service will answer any CHP+ member questions at 1-800-359-1991.
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Recent Memo Series Issued to Counties |
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OM 20-081
The purpose of this memo is to clarify to county departments of human/social services the deliverable requirements and necessary information to earn the fiscal year (FY) 2020-21 County Incentives Program Cyber Security Incentive.
OM 20-074
The purpose of this Operational Memo is to inform county departments of human/social services and NEMT administrators of operational instructions to transition NEMT duties to IntelliRide, the new statewide NEMT vendor.
OM 20-071
The purpose for this operational memo is to provide guidance to eligibility sites on self-attestation of information to determine eligibility for Medical Assistance programs during the COVID-19 Federal public health emergency (PHE) period.
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IM 20-036
The purpose of this Informational Memo is to inform county departments of human/social services of quarterly support calls for the County Incentives Program. The support calls are intended to clarify and answer questions about the County Incentives Program and to assist counties in meeting and/or exceeding this year's performance benchmarks and deliverables successfully. Please note these calls are optional.
IM 20-035
The purpose of this Informational Memo is to inform stakeholders that the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (Department) has posted the Request for Proposal (RFP), soliciting proposals from organizations who are interested in performing as a Single Entry Point (SEP) agency
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HCPF Email Encryption Change |
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Due to a contractual change for state-wide encryption services, the Department will return to ProofPoint for email encryption instead of Zix on the evening of July 8, 2020.
For more information for how to access ProofPoint details, please refer to the ProofPoint guide.
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Virtual Support Calls from the Staff Development Center |
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The Staff Development Center (SDC) has partnered with State Program Area Representatives to provide daily virtual Over-the-Shoulder Support calls. We recently sent out a survey to hear your feedback about these calls, and the results overwhelmingly support for these calls to continue, but indicate the frequency could be reduced to once per week.
We will continue to offer the virtual support calls daily through next Friday, Sept. 4. After that, we will offer the calls once per week on Thursdays, starting on Sept. 10.
When: For one more week, these calls will continue daily through Sept. 4. Beginning on Sept. 10, these calls will take place once per week.
- Every Thursday 2 p.m - 3 p.m
How to Join: There are 2 options for joining these calls
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Connect for Health Colorado:
Coloradans Experiencing Job Loss
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Job loss in Colorado is at an all-time high and with that comes loss of job-based health insurance. To ensure that Coloradans have the health coverage they need, Connect for Health Colorado opens a 60-day Special Enrollment Period to residents who lose their health insurance from their job. Because Connect for Health Colorado is the only place Coloradans can apply for financial help to lower the costs of health insurance, it is often a more affordable option than electing COBRA.
Please help us spread the word.
We have created an online Job Loss Toolkit for you, our partner organizations, to better assist you as you help those experiencing job loss navigate the resources available to them.
- Web versions of our brochures and flyers and instructions for ordering print versions at no cost.
- 10-minute video explaining health insurance options after loss of employer-sponsored health insurance.
- Social media images and copy to help get the word out to your communities.
We hope the Special Enrollment Period for those losing job-based health insurance will provide some comfort to those in your community who are newly uninsured, and I hope this toolkit will make it easier to get this information out to them. Thank you for being a great partner and helping keep Colorado covered by sharing this information with your community. Please feel free to reach out to Jessica Smith at any time.
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As you know, many Coloradans have recently lost their jobs and their health care coverage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Department is expecting a surge in the number of Coloradans eligible for our programs as the pandemic continues. We want to be sure people are aware of how to apply for the health care coverage options our Department administers and we’re hoping you can help us spread the word through your channels.
We have created educational materials and resources on our webpage, Here for YOU, Colorado! This page contains shareable content for websites, social media, emails and newsletters. The goal of our Here for YOU, Colorado! campaign is to spread the word about applying for Health First Colorado (Colorado’s Medicaid program) and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+).
We also have fresh content monthly featuring Coloradans who get their health care coverage through our programs, under “Ads” in the "For Coloradans Who Need Health Insurance" section of the webpage. August’s featured member is Steve.
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Hospital Transformation Program (HTP) Update |
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At the Aug. 25, 2020 Colorado Healthcare Affordability and Sustainability Enterprise (CHASE) Board meeting, the board voted to revise the implementation of the Hospital Transformation Program until February 2021. More information about the change can be found in a memo from the Department.
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Public Rule Review Meeting |
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Public Rule Review meetings are an opportunity for stakeholders to have one-on-one conversation with the Department's rule author regarding draft rules.
Public Rule Review meetings take place on the second Monday after the second Friday of each month. Stakeholders can attend in person or can e-mail feedback to the rule author before the rule goes to the Medical Services Board (MSB).
This does not take the place of public testimony at the MSB meeting and anyone who wishes is invited to come to the meeting to address the Board directly.
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County Grants & County Incentives Programs |
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FY 2019-20 County Incentive Program
- Incentive funds earned for FY 2019-20 have been disbursed to each county through the County Financial Management System (CFMS).
FY 2020-21 County Incentive Program
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Competitive Grants
- FY 2020-2021 Grants have been awarded!
- Intergovernmental Grant Agreements were sent to counties on August 26, 2020.
- The Department has invited each grantee to a brief meeting to discuss each grant's conditions of funding.
Targeted Grants
- More information on FY 2020-21 targeted grants coming soon.
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Timeliness for all Medical Assistance applications was measured at 98.54 percent.
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Timeliness for all Medical Assistance redeterminations was measured at 99.17 percent.
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Department Contacts & Resources |
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About the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing: The Department administers Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid Program), Child Health Plan Plus and other programs for Coloradans who qualify. For more information about the Department, please visit Colorado.gov/hcpf.
STAY CONNECTED
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