New Study From CHA Shows Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Hospital Volumes

A new study from the Colorado Hospital Association (CHA) shows the impact of Medicaid expansion on hospital volumes in the 26 states that chose to expand Medicaid eligibility under an option offered through the Affordable Care Act. The study shows that the Medicaid proportion of patient volume at hospitals in states that expanded Medicaid increased substantially in the first quarter of 2014. At the same time, the proportion of self-pay and overall charity care declined in expansion-state hospitals. You can listen to the article on Colorado Public Radio here, and read the study from CHA here.

Connect for Health Colorado and Colorado Medicaid Update

Read the latest enrollment number from Colorado Medicaid and Connect for Health Colorado below. You can read the press release in your browser by clicking here.

For immediate release:

January 17, 2014

CONNECT FOR HEALTH COLORADO AND COLORADO MEDICAID UPDATE

DENVER, CO – Between October 1, 2013, and January 15, 2014, more than 165,000 Coloradans have signed up or been approved for 2014 health coverage, according to data released today from Connect for Health Colorado and the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing.

After an extremely busy December, the first two weeks of January continues to see steady interest from Colorado shoppers and enrollment activity. January 15 was the deadline for Coloradans to sign up for private health insurance that takes effect February 1. The next deadline is February 15 to have private health insurance start on March 1. Open enrollment continues until March 31. Enrollment for Medicaid is year-round.

“We are encouraged to see steady interest from Coloradans during the second half of our open enrollment period and we are focused on reaching as many Coloradans as possible to help them shop for health insurance and apply for new tax credits to reduce costs,” said Patty Fontneau, CEO of Connect for Health Colorado.

“Together with our partners at Connect for Health Colorado, we are reaching and enrolling the uninsured,” said Susan Birch, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. “The numbers released today further demonstrate Colorado as a leader in the nation. We are among a handful of States with technology in place to allow for real time eligibility determinations for Medicaid. The technology, along with our strong network of county and community partners, has allowed us to enroll individuals into new coverage faster than many other states many of which have much larger populations to reach.”

Coloradans signed up for health insurance:
165,137 (Total) 101,730 (Medicaid) 63,407 (private health insurance)

Individual and family customer accounts:
86,235 (from PEAK) 155,854 (private health insurance)

Daily website visitors (average daily from January 1st - 15th):
4,546 (Medicaid) 7,982 (private health insurance)

** More metrics information about Medicaid is available here and more metrics information about Connect for Health Colorado is available here.

Through state laws, Connect for Health Colorado was established as a non-profit entity with a Colorado mission. In addition, Colorado is expanding eligibility for Medicaid. Private health insurance purchased through Connect for Health Colorado’s competitive marketplace and the expanded eligibility for Medicaid both take effect in 2014. Enhanced federal funding that is available starting January 1, 2014 will support the Medicaid expansion.

Connect for Health Colorado has been open since October 1, 2013 and operates with separate technology and customer service operations from the federal marketplace, healthcare.gov. Connect for Health Colorado is open to individuals, families and small businesses. Individuals and families can choose from up to 150 private health insurance plans from ten carriers and small employers can create small group plans from up to 92 health insurance plans provided by six carriers. The Customer Service Center is open from 7 am to 8 pm Mondays through Saturdays at 1-855-PLANS-4-YOU (855-752-6749). More information is available at www.ConnectforHealthCO.com.

Colorado Medicaid and the Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) are public insurance programs for low income Coloradans. The Department of Health Care Policy and Financing administers these programs. Coloradans have multiple ways to apply for coverage, Colorado.gov/PEAK is the online application for public assistance programs including medical assistance. For more information visit Colorado.gov/hcpf or visitColorado.gov/health. The Medicaid Call Center (800-221-3943 for general questions and 800-359-1991 to check application status) are available 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The call center is closed on state holidays.

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Contact information:
Ben Davis, ben@onsightpa.com, 303-552-6790 (Connect for Health Colorado)
Rachel Reiter, Rachel.Reiter@state.co.us, 303-866-3921 (Colorado Medicaid)

Copyright © 2014 OnSight Public Affairs, All rights reserved.

Obamacare May Cut Bad Debt Says Southwest Memorial Hospital

As more people in Montezuma County sign up for insurance under the federal healthcare law, Southwest Memorial Hospital in Cortez may take on far less bad debt. Southwest Health System said patients were unable to pay about $4.6 million in medical bills during the 12 months leading up to October 2012.

In preparation for Obamacare, the hospital became certified in the fall to sign people up for Medicaid and other forms of insurance. According to Kent Helwig, CEO of Southwest Memorial Hospital, the hope is that people will seek out preventive care and make fewer trips to the emergency room when they have insurance. Read the rest of the article in the Cortez Journal here.

Report Says Experience of CHIP Hints at Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Providers

Enrollment in public health insurance coverage will expand significantly beginning in 2014. At this time there is only a limited understanding of what happens when an influx of newly insured patients encounters a relatively fixed supply of providers. Will they choose to work longer hours to accommodate the increase in demand? The experience of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) offers a preview of how providers might respond to the expansion.

According to a report in the Medicare & Medicaid Research Review, researchers from the Government Accountability Office and the Washington-based Center for Studying Health System Change found that the creation of the Children's Health Insurance Program in 1997 did not create a deluge of patients that the nation's pediatricians couldn't handle. Read more here.

Study Says Medicaid Expansion for All States Would Pay Hospitals More By 2022

According to a study by the Urban Institute funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, states that expand Medicaid could see $2.59 gained in Medicaid revenue for every private insurance dollar lost. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), states have the option to raise the income eligibility mark for Medicaid to 133% of the federal poverty line starting in 2014 in exchange for full federal funding for the expansion for three years and not less than 90% of the added cost after that. Read about the study here, which examined current low-income patients who have private insurance but would be newly eligible for Medicaid coverage if the state expanded the program. In Colorado, Senate Bill 13-200 is making its way through the legislative process. If passed, Colorado will expand Medicaid eligibility to 133% beginning in 2014.