There is no doubt that human beings are, by far, the smartest species to ever walk the earth, but honestly, it hasn’t kept us from making a mistake every now and then. This dynamic has already showed up on the surface quite a few times throughout our history, with each appearance practically forcing us to look for some sort of a defensive cover. To the world’s credit, we will find the most fitting answer to our conundrum by bringing regulatory bodies into the fold. Having a well-defined authority across every single area was a game-changer, as it instantly compensated for a lot of our shortcomings, therefore giving us a fair shot at all those possibilities that we could have never even conceived otherwise. Nevertheless, the utopia to emerge from here was never meant to last, and if we dig into the reasons, we’ll quickly realize how it was all technology’s fault. You see, the moment technology and its layered nature took over the scene; it constructed a reality where people had a prime chance to exploit others, and guess what, they were even allowed to sidestep all the consequences for doing the same. As if this wasn’t devastating enough in itself, the whole runner began to materialize on such a scale that it overwhelmed our newfound governing forces and sent them back to the drawing board. Fortunately, they have since put-together a massive comeback. In fact, the traces of their reclaimed authority have only grown more and more evident over the recent past, and a proposed new rule can very well solidify them further.
In a bid to remove healthcare inequalities and modernize the methodology, the Biden administration has formally proposed a new legislation, which is designed to simplify the process of enrolling or renewing coverage in Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Basic Health Programs. According to certain reports, the bill, if approved, will notably limit renewals to once every 12 months. Beyond that, it will give applicants a 30-day timeframe to respond to any information requests, while also mandating consistent renewal processes across all the states. The proposal comes at a time when the Covid-19 public health emergency in the US is nearing its end. Once the emergency goes away, it will spell the end of continuous enrollment requirement, which so far has prohibited states from disenrolling Medicaid beneficiaries. Talk about the potential impact of this development, it is expected to leave more than 15 million people without coverage.
“This proposed rule will ensure that these individuals and families, often from underserved communities, can access the health care and coverage to which they are entitled — a foundational principle of health equity,” said CMS Administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure.
The proposed rule even makes some amendments in regards to how we judge someone’s eligibility for coverage. Here, it will create specific guidelines for states to run through before making a decision on someone’s eligibility.
Among the other suggested changes, the bill removes the requirement to apply for other benefits as a condition of Medicaid eligibility. It also eliminates references to outdated technology and introduces a mandate for the records to be stored electronically