The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on July 29 that up to $1 million in grants will be available to each State Medicaid agency to begin work on developing health insurance purchasing exchanges in preparation for the full implementation of federal health care reform in 2014. This first round of grant funding focuses on state research and planning on governance and operations issues. Grant applications are due September 1. HHS seeks comments from the public by October 4 on development of standards for the exchanges.

About Tom Entrikin

A former policy specialist with the U.S. Health Care Financing Administration (now Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)), Tom Entrikin has vast experience providing technical assistance to states on Medicaid eligibility, coverage, and reimbursement; provider certification and enrollment; program integrity; recovery of third party liabilities; Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) performance specifications and operations; interagency agreements; contracts with managed care organizations; and Medicaid waiver programs. Since joining PCG in 1992, Tom has assisted in the design, development, and implementation of revenue projects for school-based health services; hospital-based and municipal projects for pregnant women, infants, and children; state services offered through youth services, child welfare, mental health, substance abuse, and public health agencies; and reimbursement systems for hospitals, long term care facilities, and community-based waiver programs. He has made presentations at national conferences on Medicaid waiver programs and participated in the development of a manual on self-determination under waiver programs for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Read More