Health-Exchange-Alert

President Joe Biden, in addition to his highly publicized move Thursday (Jan. 28) to reopen enrollment in healthcare.gov from Feb. 15 to May 15, put in motion a broad federal review that could lead to the reversal of a slew of Trump-era Affordable Care Act policies that undermine protections of consumers with preexisting conditions; demonstrations or waivers that undercut the exchanges or the off-exchange individual, small group, or large group markets; policies that create barriers for people seeking to buy coverage, including mid-year enrollments; and policies that reduce plan affordability or financial assistance.

Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission members voted Friday (Jan. 29) on a draft recommendation that Congress make the Medicaid estate recovery program voluntary for states, as recent statistics show states are making little off the program and commissioners worried the current program is perpetuating poverty.

President Joe Biden issued an executive order Thursday (Jan. 28) directing HHS to examine whether the Trump administration's controversial Medicaid work requirement waivers undermine the program, coming just days after 17 states asked the Supreme Court to validate their 1115 waivers.

CMS on Thursday officially announced it will re-open healthcare.gov and direct enrollment portals to all eligible consumers for a three-month period starting Feb. 15, and will spend $50 million on outreach and education.

HHS will amend the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act to allow recently retired or inactive doctors and nurses to administer COVID-19 vaccines, White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients announced at the administration’s first COVID-19 press briefing on Wednesday (Jan. 27), where officials stressed a need to remove barriers to vaccine access in under-resourced communities.

A bipartisan group of former Obama, Bush and Trump health officials are calling on the Biden administration to expand access to insurance by shoring up the individual market and working with Congress to lower the Medicare enrollment age to 55.

President Joe Biden’s health care agenda should focus on increasing value-payments, strengthening primary care via nurse practitioners and non-clinical personnel, building trust in vulnerable communities and improving health care information technology so the country is better prepared for the next pandemic, some experts said at a webinar by The Commonwealth Fund Tuesday (Jan. 26).

Illinois Democratic Rep. Lauren Underwood on Tuesday (Jan. 19) reintroduced legislation to expand and enhance the Affordable Care Act’s tax credits, just days after President Joe Biden included that as a key piece of his health reform agenda wrapped into the COVID-19 recovery plan unveiled Jan. 16.

One of President Joe Biden’s executive orders out Thursday steps into the still smoldering issue over coverage of non-diagnostic COVID-19 testing, demanding that HHS clarify insurers’ responsibilities.