The Future of Medicaid in Arizona

Background

The recent Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides states multiple and complex opportunities with respect to the future of their Medicaid programs. Governor Brewer has started a deliberate and thoughtful process to review these options and engage with stakeholders for their valuable input. The links below include more information regarding the impact of the ACA provisions to Arizona’s Medicaid program and summaries of these stakeholder efforts. Continue to check this page for updates.

Presentation to Stakeholders [742KB, PDF]
AHCCCS Cost Summary [40KB]
NAMD Questions to CMS 7/3/12 [162KB]
CMS Letter to all Governors 7/10/12 [133KB]

ACA Topics of Interest

• Health-e-Arizona Plus

  April 18, 2013

  AHCCCS and DES are leveraging the current Health-e-Arizona system to comply with new requirements for Medicaid and CHIP eligibility. Click on the link below for more information.

  New Technology for Public Assistance in AZ 

• Medicaid Coverage

  January 15, 2013

  On January 14, 2013, Governor Brewer announced her proposal regarding Medicaid coverage. Details about her plan will be released in the near future. Her recommendation will now be considered by the Legislature in the 2013 legislative session. Visit the Medicaid Coverage page for more information.

  Medicaid Coverage

• Health Insurance Exchange

  November 18, 2012

  Governor Brewer announced that the State of Arizona will not pursue the creation of a state-based Health Exchange. Instead, Arizona will participate in a federally-operated Exchange.

  Exchange Decision Letter- 11/28/12

  November 15, 2012

  The Federal Government extended the deadline from November 16, 2012 to December 14, 2012 for states to decide whether to have a State or Federally operated Exchange.

• Essential Health Benefits

  September 28, 2012

  Governor Brewer selected the State Employee Benefit- United Healthcare EPO with pediatric, dental and vision coverage supplemented by the FED-VIP as the baseline Essential Health Benefits package for Arizona. The Essential Health Benefits package mandates the minimum services for all policies in Arizona. More information can be found on the links below:

  Essential Health Benefits

  Governor Brewer Letter 9/28/12

  Arizona accepted public comments regarding the Essential Health Benefits Benchmark Plan. A link to the survey tool to solicit feedback as well as the Essential Health Benefits Report with additional information can be found below. Comments could also be submitted electronically to: HIX@az.gov.

  Benchmark Plan Survey

  Benchmark Plan Report

• Tracking ACA Provisions

  Information regarding AHCCCS implementation of some of the Medicaid requirements of the ACA is provided below. This document will be updated regularly as information becomes available.

  AHCCCS Tracking- 1/11/13 forthcoming

• CMS FAQs

  CMS has released additional information in the form of FAQs regarding some of the ACA’s provisions that can be found on the link below.

  CMS FAQs

• Previous ACA Stories

  AHCCCS began tracking the impacts of Federal Health Care Reform from the time the plan was first announced in 2009. AHCCCS continued to analyze and provide updated information based on the different proposals. These updates can be found on the Federal Activities link below:

  ACA History

Public Input Process

AHCCCS has been involved in a variety of stakeholder efforts to inform and accept feedback from the public regarding the Future of Medicaid. The links below include additional information from these stakeholder efforts.

Stakeholder Input Common Themes
FAQs

• Public Meetings
  A summary of each of the 7 public meetings, which includes a summary of the public’s testimony, is provided in the link below.
  Public Meeting Summary

  AHCCCS will host public meetings across the state to provide additional information about potential options regarding the future of Arizona’s Medicaid program. Click on the link below for more information about these public meetings, including the dates and locations and how to RSVP for a meeting in your area. If you plan to offer comments at the public meeting, please complete a speaker slip using the “Speaker Slip” link below.

  Public Meeting Schedule
  Note: The Phoenix session 2-4 is at capacity. There will be 2nd session immediately following, from 4-5:30. The same topics will be covered with the opportunity to comment.
  Public Meeting Agenda
  Speaker Slip (Complete and email to: AZfuture@azahcccs.gov)
  

• Written Comments

  AHCCCS reviewed all of the written comments received to date and posted them below.

  AZ Future Comments

In addition to the public meetings, Written comments were submitted by email to: AZFuture@azahcccs.gov or mailed to:

AHCCCS
Attn: Office of Intergovernmental Relations
801 E. Jefferson, MD 4100
Phoenix, AZ 85034