Charlie Thaxton

Trump says Medicare can now cover weight loss drugs like Ozempic The pilot program could make it easier for seniors to use drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound.

In addition to Medicare, state #Medicaid agencies will soon have the ability to offer GLP-1 drugs for obesity at $245 a mo/dose. Will be interesting to see how this lands with the states, given the many tough decisions they're currently navigating. www.axios.com/2025/11/06/m...

Medicaid Beneficiary Advisory Councils: A Guide to Evaluating Process and Impact - Center for Health Care Strategies This tool presents strategies and examples to help states effectively integrate evaluation approaches into their BAC programs.

States are expanding their Beneficiary Advisory Councils (BACs) to elevate Medicaid member voices. Evaluating these efforts helps ensure BACs are effective and responsive to member needs. bit.ly/3Lfhr01

Medicaid expansion and cancer stage at diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States AbstractBackground. Substantial cancer underdiagnosis, especially early-stage cancers, occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Medicaid

"Our findings suggest a protective effect of Medicaid expansion on early-stage cancer diagnoses during the COVID-19 pandemic and public health emergency..." academic.oup.com/jnci/advance...

Engaging Medicaid Members and Community-Based Organizations Through Beneficiary Advisory Councils - Center for Health Care Strategies This webinar will share key lessons from the BAC Learning and Action series, highlighting state experiences in developing BAC structures, recruitment strategies, charters and bylaws, and compensation ...

Webinar 10/22: Learn from Maine and North Dakota about their approaches to designing and recruiting #Medicaid members for their Beneficiary Advisory Councils. bit.ly/3KeW8Lk

The nexus of #Medicaid funded care, #MOUD, and #reentry is a huge opportunity to save lives and improve criminal justice outcomes at the same time. That, and other important strategies highlighted here. www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...

Three Opportunities for States to Improve Health Care for Medicaid Members with Disabilities - CHCS Blog This blog post highlights three opportunities for state action, drawn from insights shared during the convening.

#Medicaid covers ~15 million people with disabilities, yet many disabled people still face persistent barriers to accessing the health care they need. This blog post highlights 3 opportunities for state action. bit.ly/4mPEL1b

Innovative Medicaid Strategies to Enhance the Behavioral Health Care Workforce  - Center for Health Care Strategies This virtual panel will highlight state Medicaid policy levers to strengthen the behavioral health workforce.

Tomorrow, 2 - 3:15pm ET, CHCS will host three behavioral health care experts to explore state policy solutions — training and education, flexible licensing, reduced admin burden — to grow and retain the #Medicaid behavioral health care workforce. bit.ly/4gd70VY

States are quickly putting together their applications for the Rural Health Transformation Program this month. We're putting together a number of #Medicaid strategies they can use to expand access, build and bolster their workforces, and ensure long-term sustainability. #RuralHealth

Aligning Work Requirements Across SNAP and Medicaid to Support Public Benefit Continuity - Center for Health Care Strategies This brief compares key features of the work requirements in SNAP and Medicaid, and outlines strategies for state Medicaid agencies, SNAP-administering organizations, and other stakeholders to coordin...

New, stricter federal work requirements are coming to #Medicaid and #SNAP. This brief shares strategies for coordinating implementation across the programs to help ensure benefit continuity & reduce administrative burden. bit.ly/4mO73JE

Join us next Tuesday for an important conversation on state #Medicaid strategies on growing (and deepening, and retaining!) the behavioral health workforce. #MentalHealth #SUD

Evidence-to-Action Hub - Center for Health Care Strategies Explore demonstrated and emerging evidence on priority topics critical to improve care for people served by Medicaid.

💡Working to improve #Medicaid? Visit CHCS’ new Evidence-to-Action Hub. The evidence, tools, and policy insights to turn evidence into impact. 👉 bit.ly/4ps8z6I

Engaging Medicaid Members and Community-Based Organizations Through Beneficiary Advisory Councils - Center for Health Care Strategies This webinar will share key lessons from the BAC Learning and Action series, highlighting state experiences in developing BAC structures, recruitment strategies, charters and bylaws, and compensation ...

Join CHCS 10/22 for a conversation with state #Medicaid staff, Medicaid members + community organizations on the design and potential for new Beneficiary Advisory Councils to incorporate member voice into program and policymaking. bit.ly/3KeW8Lk

New piece outlining key cross-agency connections #Medicaid agencies can make to comply with federal work requirements policy and avoid member coverage loss.

Important conversation coming up next month on #Medicaid and the behavioral health care #workforce. Join us!

School-based health centers offer a valuable opportunity to meet kids where they are. Most offer both primary and behavioral health care, and state #Medicaid agencies can play a big role in helping connect and coordinate school systems, providers, and community orgs.

Super interesting. Much critical ink has been spilled about inflation in mental health diagnosis, the risk of patients overidentifying with diagnosis, etc. This is an interesting, countervailing take: simply equipping someone with the lang. to describe their experience has a therapeutic effect.

Congrats to our latest Medicaid Leadership Institute class. These #Medicaid leaders will work together, trade strategies, build knowledge, and strengthen their skills to serve their communities in the years ahead.

CMS' newly required BACs have their work cut out for them! With so many changes coming to #Medicaid in the coming months and years, it's crucial to listen to (and implement) the experience and advice of the people receiving care.

As the school year approaches, it's even more important for #Medicaid and school systems to collaborate to deliver effective preventative care to kids. The EPSDT benefit is among Medicaid's most comprehensive. We gathered five strategies to maximize Medicaid-school collaboration for child health.

A Summary of National Medicaid Work Requirements - Center for Health Care Strategies This policy cheat sheet synthesizes key details of the new federal Medicaid work requirements, including timeline, populations impacted, exemption categories, and more.

States face a complex task ahead in implementing new federal #Medicaid work requirements. This new CHCS Policy Cheat Sheet offers a big picture summary of timelines, impacted populations, exemption categories, and more. www.chcs.org/resource/a-s...

For the "good-things-can-still-happen" file: new bipartisan housing bill features home repair provision with Philly origins. 👍🏠

US plans to test Medicare, Medicaid coverage for weight-loss drugs, Washington Post reports The Trump administration is considering a five-year pilot program to cover weight-loss drugs under Medicare and Medicaid, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing documents from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

New twist in the ongoing will they/won't they saga for Medicaid/Medicare and GLP-1s. www.reuters.com/business/hea...

Webinar: What Youth Justice Leaders Should Know About Medicaid A webinar explores how to leverage Medicaid to support young people with justice system involvement. Register today.

Tomorrow! 2-3 PM ET: Join three CHCSers for an important conversation hosted by @annieecaseyfdn.bsky.social on #Medicaid's growing role in the juvenile justice system. www.aecf.org/blog/what-yo...

Medicaid Payment Approaches to Strengthen Disability-Competent Primary Care - CHCS Blog Having a specialist as your primary care physician (PCP) may seem unconventional, but for many individuals with disabilities, it is a practical and often necessary choice. In fact, some state Medicaid agencies and health plans have long-standing policies allowing specialists to serve as PCPs. The reason is straightforward: people with disabilities face significant barriers to... Read more »

As the ADA marks its 35th anniversary this Saturday, explore how disability-competent primary care and #Medicaid payment levers can help reduce disparities and improve primary care for people with disabilities. #ADA35

CMS just put out a press release asserting it will no longer support waiver demonstrations for multi-year continuous eligibility — it doesn't seem to be terminating active demos, but they won't extended and new ones won't be approved.

These policies have mostly been designed to benefit kids.

Medicaid Innovation in Improving Access to Behavioral Health Care - Center for Health Care Strategies This virtual panel will share how leaders from Colorado, Massachusetts, and Wyoming are tackling behavioral health challenges and using Medicaid policy to improve access to high-quality care in their ...

⏰ Tomorrow: join CHCS and three #Medicaid leaders from across the country to hear how their states are confronting behavioral health challenges + improving mental health/SUD care access and quality. www.chcs.org/resource/med...

Join CHCS and #Medicaid leaders from across the country next Tuesday for an important panel discussion on behavioral health, Medicaid, and strategies for greater access and better outcomes in #MentalHealth and #SUD care.

How Might Federal Medicaid Cuts in the Senate-Passed Reconciliation Bill Affect Rural Areas? | KFF Under the Senate-passed reconciliation bill, federal Medicaid spending in rural areas is estimated to decline by $155 billion, more than in the House-passed bill, and far more than the $50 billion app...

NEW RURAL BRIEF @kff.org : Senate reconciliation bill would cut federal Medicaid funding in rural areas by $155B—$36B more than the House bill. www.kff.org/policy-watch...

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS | Inviting senior #Medicaid leaders to apply for the 2026 class of the Medicaid Pathways Program, a professional development program designed to strengthen leadership skills and drive program innovation. bit.ly/3GcfXBo @rwjf.bsky.social

Important convo next month with state agency leaders from across the country. We'll explore #Medicaid's critical role in improving behavioral health, and Medicaid-based innovation in mental health and #SUD care. Join us 7/15!