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Stay up-to-date on what's new at the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing with our newsletter created specifically
for the
Colorado General Assembly.
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This newsletter is published monthly while the legislature is in session, and quarterly outside of the legislative session. The next edition will be published in May 2020.
Please continue to direct any questions or constituent issues to the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (the Department) legislative team:
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Rachel Reiter,
HCPF Deputy Director of Policy, Communications & Administration
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Message from Executive Director Kim Bimestefer
This month, I would like to address what the Department is doing to support our providers, partners and fellow Coloradans during this unprecedented public health crisis.
We serve more than 1.2 million Coloradans through Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program), Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) and other health care programs. With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, our Department is being called upon to serve more Coloradans than ever before.
Although we have seen dramatic increases in our member numbers before -- especially when we expanded Health First Colorado under the Affordable Care Act -- we have never experienced a projected membership increase of this magnitude in such a short span of time. To adapt, we are implementing numerous system and policy changes under challenging time constraints; we appreciate your partnership through this time of dynamic change:
- As a first step, we moved in lock step with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment and federal guidance to reduce exposure for our most vulnerable -- those in long-term care facilities and other populations who are more susceptible to COVID-19 -- through a number of provider care directives.
- We have taken steps to reduce administrative burden on providers through requests for program flexibility from our federal partners.
- We've asked our county partners and all vendors to activate their continuity of operations plans -- including work from home capability -- to ensure they can answer the phones and serve our members during the state of emergency.
- We have reduced face-to-face engagement requirements where clinically appropriate and enabled telemedicine as an alternative. And we've enacted temporary enhancements to our telemedicine policy to improve overall access to care for our members to further mitigate the spread of the virus.
We are working with our federal partners to secure approval on other accommodations; however, we will need to balance budget constraints with all options before finalizing such decisions. In the interim, you can find up to date information and details on our new webpage: Colorado.gov/hcpf/covid.
Thank you to all of you who are on the front lines battling this pandemic to the betterment of our members and all Coloradans. To our county partners, care providers, first responders, sister agencies, HCPF staff and to all of you --words are inadequate to sufficiently express my sincere appreciation for all you are doing each day to save lives, to keep Coloradans safe, and to create access to the HCPF safety net programs and supports that are needed by so many during this state of emergency.
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HCPF 2020 Legislative Agenda
The 2020 legislative session convened on January 8, 2020. A brief overview of the
Department's legislative agenda can be found on the Department's website. This year, our agenda bills focus on:
- Children's Habilitation Residential Program (CHRP) Waiver Rulemaking (SB20-171)
- Renew Overexpenditure and Transfer Authority
- Skilled Nursing Facilities: Establishing a Demonstration of Need and Technical Changes
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HCPF FY 2020-21 Budget Agenda
A summary of the Department's discretionary budget requests submitted for consideration to the Colorado General Assembly, as part of the Governor's Fiscal Year (FY) 2020-21 budget, is now posted on our website. These requests focus on improving customer service, benefits management, compliance and controlling costs. The requests include strategic investments in technology to support pharmacy benefits and payment reforms.
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Sign-up for HCPF's new COVID-19 weekly update
The Department has created a weekly update for providers, stakeholders, community partners and staff about COVID-19. If you'd like to opt-in to receive this newsletter, please go to the Department's newsletter sign-up webpage, complete the form with your contact information, click "COVID-19 Weekly Update" and then the "Sign-Up" button.
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Colorado's COVID-19 Emergency Waiver Overview
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is working with states to provide additional program flexibility for Medicaid and CHP+ to address the COVID-1
9
pandemic. The Department
submitted two waivers to CMS requesting flexibility
to our existing authority. The requests
and federal government approval are a first step, but the requests
must still
be
considered within the state's overall budget
constraints
and are subject to Office of
State Planning and Budgeting (OSPB) and General Assembly approvals. To learn more about the waivers and what
the Department requested
visit the COVID-19 Waiver Overview Fact Sheet.
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Substance Use Disorder Benefit Delay
Given the recent spread and response to COVID-19, the Department has made the difficult decision to delay the effective date of the Substance Use Disorder benefits intended through House Bill 18-1136 until January 2021. This six-month delay will enable the Department to free up capacity and budget and allow our partners to respond to the current public health crisis caused by COVID-19. More information is available on the Department's COVID website.
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Connect for Health Special Enrollment Period
Coloradans can enroll by filling out an application online and selecting a health insurance plan through the website at
ConnectforHealthCO.com.
They will click the "Login" button on the top right of the homepage and select "Create an Account." When enrolling, applicants should select the enrollment reason as, "Will lose or lost health insurance and/or have no other health coverage during the COVID-19 outbreak." People who enroll through this Special Enrollment period will not be asked by health insurance companies to provide documentation to verify their eligibility for the new SEP.
They can also call the Customer Service Center at 855-752-6749, or get help enrolling with a certified enrollment expert including certified Brokers and Assisters. The Customer Service Center is adding weekend hours during this period. The hours: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Certified enrollment experts will offer virtual and/or phone appointments. To find a Broker or Assister, visit
https://connectforhealthco.com/we-can-help/.
As always, Coloradans can sign up for a plan any time of the year if they experience
other qualifying life change events, including
loss of job-based coverage. Residents who qualify for Health First Colorado (Medicaid) or the Child Health Plan Plus program can also enroll online through the PEAK application any time during the year.
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Hospital Transformation Program (HTP) Update
HTP application delay
In light of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, an email communication was sent
to hospitals on March 17 regarding the Department's decision to delay the Hospital Transformation Program (HTP) application deadline of April 30 until a future date, to be announced. Additional information can be found in the linked communication. Although the application deadline has been delayed, the Department continues to work with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) toward obtaining approval for all components of the HTP in advance of the target waiver implementation date of October 2020.
Update on federal authorities
The Department continues to engage in discussions with CMS and is working toward obtaining approval for all components in advance of the target waiver implementation date of October 2020.
Hospital Index and Prometheus dashboard update
The Department is in the process of completing a refresh of the data for the Prometheus dashboards and recalculating Hospital Index scores. This is not a refresh that will be used for the baseline of the HTP, but rather our regular annual update to the data. No action is required from hospitals regarding this refresh and update.
If you'd like to know more about the HTP, we encourage you to visit
the HTP website as well as read past editions of the HTP Newsletter in
our online archives. If you have additional questions about the HTP, please contact
Courtney Ronner, Hospital Relations and Communication Manager.
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HCPF Submits New Reports & LRFIs to the General Assembly
Since the last newsletter, the Department submitted new reports and Legislative Requests for Information (LRFIs) to the General Assembly. All can be found on the Legislator Resource Center page.
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Medicaid Snapshot and County-by-County Resources
These
County Fact Sheets
provide an annual snapshot by fiscal year for Colorado's Medicaid program activity including average annual caseload and top five claim types for each county.
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Legislator Resource Center
The
Legislator Resource Center
on our website is available to help legislators and legislative staff easily find information. It includes links to reports, fact sheets and overviews of the budget process to help inform legislators.
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Follow HCPF on Social Media
We invite legislators to follow us on social media to stay informed of news and happenings at the Department. You can follow us on
Facebook
,
Twitter
and
LinkedIn
.
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Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing
(303) 866-2993 | 1570 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203
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