Family Voices Indiana

In a new webinar on Tuesday, October 27 at 3:00PM ET, Manatt Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Family Voices and the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families will explore how child advocates and families can work with state Medicaid agencies to enforce coverage requirements and make permanent the temporary regulatory flexibilities that have expanded access to services during the pandemic.Register Here

Federal officials are firming up rules for a relatively new type of account that allows people with disabilities to save money without jeopardizing their government benefits.The Internal Revenue Service issued final regulations this month spelling out details about how ABLE accounts should operate.The accounts, which were established by the 2014 ABLE Act, allow individuals with disabilities to accrue up to $100,000 without risking eligibility for Social Security and other government benefits. Medicaid can be retained no matter how much money is saved in the accounts.The rules released this month stem from when the accounts were originally created as well as tweaks to the law that came in 2017 tax-cut legislation. Many of the changes have already been in effect, but the IRS said the final regulations clarify specifics and address comments the agency received in response to previous proposals about how the law would be applied.Annual deposits to ABLE accounts are capped at the value of …

Listed below are ISDH Testing Sites for the week of October 20th - October 24th.Each site runs from 9:00am - 6:00pm (EST)Lake County Health Department
2900 W 93rd Ave, Crown Point, IN 46307Grant County Fairgrounds
1403 IN-18, Marion, IN 46592First Assembly of God
2601 27th St, Bedford, IN 47421Lincolnland Economic Development Corp.
2792 N US-231, Rockport, IN 47635

Trump signs executive orders on preexisting condition protections, surprise billing (Fierce Healthcare, 9/24/20)
On September 24, the president signed an Executive Order (EO), An America-First Healthcare Plan. Executive Orders do not have the force of law and cannot change existing laws or formal regulations. The EO states, “It has been and will continue to be the policy of the United States to give Americans seeking healthcare more choice, lower costs, and better care and to ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions can obtain the insurance of their choice at affordable rates.” Neither the EO nor any other documentation provides proposals about how to achieve these goals, particularly if the Affordable Care Act is ruled unconstitutional, as the administration is urging the Supreme Court. (The Court will hear arguments about the case on November 10.) The EO also mentions surprise medical billing and care for veterans. For an analysis of the EO, see Administration Health Care E…

The Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services and the Bureau of Quality Improvement Services believe that a true person-centered system measures a service or program by its ability to achieve quality, person-centered outcomes for the individuals being supported. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities should be provided with the opportunity to take risks and learn from a full range of life experiences, both the successes and the disappointments. We are committed to ensuring that they are able to do so.With that in mind, the Bureau of Quality Improvement Services is offering a web-based learning opportunity about Finding the Balance: A Shift to Person-Centered Practices at no cost to participants. Providers, direct support professionals, families and self-advocates are welcome to attend.Webinar participants will better understand:Balancing what’s important to a person and their choices, while considering health and safety concerns (important for) to support an …

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, hasextended the determination that a public health emergency exists through January 21, 2021 (90 days from the previous extension on October 23). Accordingly, there is an extension through that date of the Medicaid “maintenance of effort” (MOE) pre-requisite for an enhanced federal Medicaid match for states.
The MOE prohibits disenrollment of, or a reduction in services for any Medicaid beneficiary enrolled on or after March 18, 2020. SeeSecretary Azar Extends Public Health Emergency Medicaid Protections for Beneficiaries and States (Georgetown Center for Children and Families blog post, 10/5/20). Transition after Public Health Emergency Ends Policy analysts are starting to think about how states will transition back to “normal” when special rules for the federal Public Health Emergency expire. See: Medicaid Maintenance of Eligibility (MOE) Requirements: Issues to Watch When They End(Kaiser Family Foundation, 9/22/20)States Need Feder…