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Looking for a previous story? Information previously located on this page has been placed in either the State Legislative Budget Activities pages or the Federal Activities page.
Note: Information provided in PDF files, unless otherwise noted.
Thurs Feb 2, 2012 The YH12-0023 Health Insurance Exchange Request for Proposal is now available. Use the link below for more information.
Health Insurance Exchange RFP
Fri Jan 27, 2012 AHCCCS is hosting a meeting to discuss the potential for drawing down federal funds to match state gaming monies associated with Proposition 202. Prop. 202 currently funds unrecovered hospital costs for trauma facilities and Emergency Departments. AHCCCS will present three or four different options and will discuss the process for obtaining federal matching funds for this pool. AHCCCS personnel will also be available to answer any questions.
The meeting will be held at:
AHCCCS Administration 701 E. Jefferson, Gold Room February 22, 2012 at 10:00AM - 12:00PM.
In-person attendance is appreciated, as only a limited number of phone lines are available. Please RSVP to Alma Torres at Alma.Torres@azahcccs.gov and note whether you will attend by phone or in person.
Fri Jan 20, 2012 DSH 2010 Pool 5 funds will be reconciled and settled this year. Hospitals must have 2010 DSH final IGAs to AHCCCS by April 15, 2012, to be included in the final Pool 5 reconciliation and distributions and be eligible for DSH 2010 Pool 5 funding. See the link below for more information.
DSH Info
Thur Feb 2, 2012 AHCCCS held a public meeting on January 18, 2012, to provide the public with information about the upcoming Request for Proposal for managed care contracts. More information about the meeting and related material is provided in the links below.
Public Meeting RFP Information
Thur Dec 29, 2011 On Friday, December 23, 2011, the President signed into law the "Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011" (TCCA). Under section 310 of that legislation, the Congress continued authority and additional funding for the QI program through February 29, 2012. Arizona is currently working with federal authorities at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure that the State has sufficient funding for AHCCCS members enrolled in the QI-1 program through February 29, 2012. Therefore, AHCCCS sent the following revised notice to all QI-1 members explaining that AHCCCS will continue to cover their Part B premiums through the end of February. AHCCCS will NOT move ahead with any discontinuances for now. However, Congress must still act to extend the QI-1 program for the remainder of the year. AHCCCS will continue to monitor, but federal officials believe that the Congress will act to extend authorization and full funding for the upcoming year. Continue to check the website for updates.
QI-1 Member Letter Update [PDF, 33KB]
Fri Dec 23, 2011 Because Congress has not yet authorized additional federal funding for the QI-1 population, AHCCCS sent the following to QI-1 members on 12/22/11.
QI-1 Letter - QI-1 Letter - 12/22/11 [PDF, 37KB]
Thur Dec 1, 2011 AHCCCS continues to monitor whether Congress will authorize additional federal funding for the QI-1 population. To date, no such funding has been allocated. Should Congress not act, AHCCCS will discontinue benefits for individuals enrolled in the QI-1 program effective December 31, 2011. QI-1 members will be notified about the termination the week of December 19, 2011. Continue to check this page for updates.
Fri Oct 21, 2011 Pursuant to Section 1933 of the Social Security Act, the AHCCCS Administration will institute an enrollment freeze for persons who would otherwise be eligible for benefits as "qualifying individuals" or "QI-1s." Although QI-1s are a mandatory eligibility group, subsection (b)(3) of section 1933 of the Act requires the State to limit the number of QI-1s made eligible for the calendar year so that the amount of assistance provided to such individuals is estimated to equal but not exceed the State's federal allocation for the QI-1 population. Due to insufficient federal funding, AHCCCS will be denying new and pending applications for QI-1s.
On October 21, 2011, AHCCCS issued the following correspondence to all members of Arizona’s congressional delegation regarding insufficient QI-1 Funding.
QI-1 Program Letter- 10/21/11
Tue Dec 20, 2011 Effective January 1, 2012, the AHCCCS Office of the Inspector General will implement program integrity changes as required by the Affordable Care Act and published in the CMS final rule related to:
The link below has more information.
Provider changes 1/1/12
Tue Dec. 6, 2011 On December 6, 2011, the Arizona Court of Appeals issued a decision upholding the freeze on new enrollment for childless adults. Below are links to the press release and opinion issued by the court.
Court of Appeals Press Release Court of Appeals Decision Other Relevant Documents
Tue Dec 6, 2011 Beginning December 15, 2011, AHCCCS will be adding photos to the on-line verification tool used by providers to verify member eligibility. More information can be found in the link below:
MVD Photos on AHCCCS On-Line Eligibility Verification [12KB]
Thu Jan 19, 2012 The tracking document below has information about the implementation status of Arizona’s Medicaid Reform plan. Continue to check the website for updates to the document.
Tracking AZ's Medicaid Reform Plan, 1/18/2012 [127KB]
Wed Mar 16, 2011 On March 15, 2011, Governor Brewer presented her plan to preserve Arizona's Medicaid program with reforms that will drive down costs by an estimated $500 million in the State's General Fund for the partial first year. The plan was approved by the Legislature as part of the FY 2012 budget adoption and is subject to federal approval.
Medicaid Reform Plan [81KB]
Funding Pools Proposal [1.09MB]
Note: CMS continues to consider the State Plan Amendment to limit covered inpatient days for adult members.
Wed October 19, 2011 AHCCCS is providing information on the status of the October 1, 2011, rate reductions. Click on the link for additional information and continue to check the AHCCCS website for updates
For more detail regarding the Provider Rate Reductions, please click on the links provided below:
Payment Reform Information [22KB]
AHCCCS Integration Mon Sept 26, 2011 As part of Arizona's Medicaid Reform Plan, AHCCCS is reviewing opportunities to further integrate care. The link below has more information. AHCCCS Integration Page
2011 Benefits
Community Forums Wed May 18, 2011 AHCCCS will hold a number of public meetings over the next few months to provide updates on various aspects of Arizona’s Medicaid Reform Plan. Specific information is provided in the link below.
Community Forums
Waiver Information Estimated Impact Data [17KB] Public Meeting Notice
Summary Data Narrative and Detail
Fri Oct 21, 2011 On October 21, 2011, CMS approved Arizona’s Section 1115 Research and Demonstration Waiver for a period to begin October 22, 2011 through September 30, 2016. More information, including the provisions of the Waiver and accompanying Special Terms and Conditions are provided below:
Waiver Approval Fact Sheet [14KB] CMS Approval Letter [2.5MB] Waiver Approval Package [7.4MB]
Fri Oct 21, 2011 CMS approved Arizona's request for flexibilities under the 1115 Waiver, to provide coverage for the cost of Part B premiums after October 1, 2011.
Thur Jul 7, 2011 Effective October 1, 2011, AHCCCS will no longer cover Medicare Part B Premiums for approximately 10,000 ALTCS members.
As a result of an OIG audit and CMS decision, payment of the Medicare Part B premium for approximately 10,000 ALTCS members whose income exceeds 120% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) will be terminated by AHCCCS and will become the member’s responsibility effective October 1, 2011. See the link below for more information.
Medicare Part B Premiums
Tues June 14, 2011 On June 14, 2011, Mercy Care plan was awarded a contract for Pima county. Please see the link below for updated information:
Updated ALTCS Award Announcement [34KB]
Thurs May 13, 2011 On May 5, 2011, AHCCCS awarded managed care program contracts to provide long term care services to Arizonans enrolled in the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS). On May 12, 2011, AHCCCS awarded an additional capped contract. The contracts begin October 1, 2011, and are in place for up to a five year period. Please see the link below for updated information.
ALTCS Award Announcement [44KB]
Mon Jan 31, 2011 The AHCCCS Long Term Care Request for Proposal and Bidder's Library is now available. Use the link below for more information.
YH12-0001 RFP and Bidder's Library
Thu Jan 26, 2012 AHCCCS has updated its analysis on Medicaid expansion scheduled to be effective January 1, 2014, pursuant to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Note, these estimates are based on information available at this time and should not be considered definitive as there remains a number of uncertainties. Federal guidance regarding a number of issues is forthcoming and is expected to have an impact on these estimates. Continue to check the website for updates to this information.
ACA Prelim Estimates [40KB]
AHCCCS Activities- 5/13/11 [45KB]
For additional information about the ACA, please visit the Federal Activities page.
Thu Jan 19, 2012 There were 132,570 applicants on the KidsCare waiting list as of January 15, 2012. Please note, this number does not mean all individuals on the waiting list are actually eligible for KidsCare. AHCCCS has recently updated the list to remove duplicate applications, children who have turned 19 and would no longer qualify for Kidscare, and individuals currently eligible under other AHCCCS programs . Typically, 30% of all applicants are denied for the KidsCare program. However, this percentage will become less precise as more time goes by, since the applications on the waiting list will be older and circumstances for those applicants change. Thus, there is no good way to predict how many of the applicants on the waiting list might be eligible for KidsCare. Regardless, AHCCCS will continue to update the waiting list number at the end of each month.
Fri Dec 29, 2010 AHCCCS continues to work with CMS on issues related to the KidsCare program, including the impact of the Enrollment freeze. For additional information about the Enrollment cap, visit:
KidsCare Enrollment Cap
Information about denial and discontinuance activity in the KidsCare program can be found at:
KidsCare Activity