IHA Daily Briefing: April 9

CMS Guidance Limits Federal Medicaid, CHIP Funding for Certain Noncitizens
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is preparing states for an upcoming change that will limit the ability to claim federal matching funds for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for individuals who are not U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals, or who fall into specific noncitizen categories identified in statute. New guidance issued yesterday is intended to ensure states understand their responsibility in implementing this statutory change beginning Oct. 1, 2026.

The State Health Official (SHO) letter on implementation of section 71109 of the Working Families Tax Cut legislation (Public Law 119-21) provides states with operational guidance on eligibility systems, applications, verification and claims processing. Click here to view the letter. CMS will provide technical assistance and use existing oversight tools to support compliance and ensure accurate claiming of federal funds.

Exceptions to the coverage limitations include continued availability of federal Medicaid matching funds for the treatment of emergency medical conditions. Additionally, the statutory changes do not apply to the option states have to cover lawfully residing children and pregnant women in Medicaid and CHIP or to matching funds for Health Services Initiatives in CHIP.

Enrollment Still Open for ACEP's E-QUAL Quality Improvement Learning Network
The American College of Emergency Physicians' (ACEP) E-QUAL initiative is a free, low-burden quality improvement learning network that engages emergency clinicians and leverages emergency departments to improve clinical outcomes, coordinate care, and reduce costs. The 2026 initiatives include opioid use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and sepsis, offering benefits for participants that include activity credit for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' Merit-based Incentive Payment System program and certificate of completion; benchmarking data in real time; and an introduction to quality improvement and best practice implementation. Click here for more information.

HRSA to Provide Over $135 Million for Nutrition, Rural Workforce Initiatives
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) announced this week it will provide more than $135 million in funding opportunities to expand nutrition services and support the rural health workforce. HRSA will provide $125 million to support more than 350 health centers in expanding access to nutrition services and food-based interventions within primary care settings. The agency will also direct $11.25 million to fund 15 grants for the Rural Residency Planning and Development Program. The grants, totaling $750,000 each, over three years, will support new rural residency programs for high-need services, including family medicine, internal medicine, psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, and preventive medicine.

Get Covered Illinois Announces New Tax Time Easy Enrollment Program
Open enrollment has ended, but uninsured Illinoisans can still enroll in a health insurance plan through the state's new Tax Time Easy Enrollment program. Get Covered Illinois announced the program provides a pathway to coverage for residents as part of the annual tax filing process. With the April 15 deadline to file taxes approaching, Get Covered Illinois is encouraging filers to take advantage of this new program.

When completing their IL-1040, residents seeking coverage should check the Health Insurance box on line 42 and indicate which household members need insurance. The Illinois Dept. of Revenue will share information about the household, such as income and household size, with Get Covered Illinois. Filers will receive a notice from Get Covered Illinois outlining their projected eligibility for health coverage, including potential qualification for premium tax credits or Medicaid. If eligible for Marketplace insurance, the customer has 60 days from the date on the notice to apply and enroll in a health plan. Checking the box does not affect the filer's tax return and does not require any commitment to enroll in coverage. Click here for more information.

The Infectious Respiratory Disease Surveillance Dashboard from the Illinois Dept. of Public Health (IDPH) provides the latest data on hospital visits, seasonal trends, lab test positivity and demographic data. IDPH also tracks COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus information through the Illinois Wastewater Surveillance System dashboard.

Briefly Noted

Leading the News

Illinois regulators have little power to stop hospital shutdowns. Lawmakers are stepping in.

WBEZ

When West Suburban Medical Center abruptly closed its doors temporarily last month, saying it had run out of cash to pay staff, there was little warning for thousands of patients and hundreds of employees. Illinois regulators tasked with overseeing hospitals had little power to stop it.

Rural hospitals depend on patients for as much as 34% of allowed amounts

Becker's Hospital Review

Rural hospitals relied on patient cost-sharing for 34% of allowed amounts in 2019, according to an April study in Health Affairs.

HRSA to dedicate $135M to rural health workforce, nutrition services

Becker's Hospital Review

The Health Resources and Services Administration will dedicate more than $135 million in new funding to expand nutrition services and address ongoing rural health workforce shortages across the country.