The Partnership for Medicaid, which America’s Essential Hospitals co-chairs, and federal officials will work together to understand low-income and minority populations’ experiences with health insurance exchanges. The Partnership for Medicaid is a coalition of organizations representing doctors, health care providers, safety net health plans, counties, and labor that are dedicated to preserving and improving the Medicaid program.
On Aug. 7, the Partnership met with two Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officials: Mandy Cohen, senior advisor to the administrator at CMS, and Donna Cohen-Ross, senior policy advisor, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services. The meeting was in response to a July 23 letter the Partnership for Medicaid sent to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services expressing concern that people in states not expanding their Medicaid program will face barriers to health care services. During the meeting, participants discussed how to ensure exchange education efforts include information about Medicaid and how to obtain health care coverage in states that don’t expand Medicaid eligibility. To inform the CMS effort, members of the Partnership for Medicaid will share their members’ experiences enrolling patients in expanded coverage, and their experiences in states that choose not to expand Medicaid.