CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Launches First Federal Campaign for Hospitals to Tackle Healthcare Workers Burnout

Open Enrollment is Happening Now: Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace Insurance

November marks the beginning of open enrollment period for all types of health plans, including Medicaid enrollment, Medicare enrollment, and Marketplace Insurance Plan enrollment. Enrollment into each of these three types of health coverage plans have different enrollment periods, guidelines, and resources, which we have included below.

Medicaid Open Enrollment

The Managed Care Open Enrollment period is open from November 1^st – November 30^th. Please note, this period runs simultaneously with the state’s return to routine Medicaid eligibility operations. Due to this overlap, they have put together key messaging that providers can share with members and other stakeholders. During open enrollment, members can review the available managed care offerings in Ohio and select the plan that best fits their healthcare needs for the 2024 calendar year.

Please note: Open enrollment (i.e., choosing a plan) is separate and different from renewing your Medicaid coverage. If you are prompted by your local County Department of Job and Family Services (CDJFS) to renew your Medicaid coverage by filling out a renewal packet during this time, please complete and return all requested information to your CDJFS as soon as possible.

Open Enrollment Info: Individuals who need additional information on open enrollmentcan visit the Ohio Medicaid Consumer Hotline website or call the Ohio Medicaid Consumer Hotline at 800-324-8680. Representatives are available 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Eastern time.

Return to Medicaid Eligibility Operations Period: Individuals who need additional information on the return to Medicaid eligibility operations period, visit ODM’s Resuming Routine Medicaid Eligibility Operations website or call 1- 844-640-6446

Medicare Open Enrollment

The Medicare Open Enrollment period is from October 15^th – December 7^th. Medicare is the federal health insurance program for people who are 65 years or older, certain younger people with disabilities, and people with End-stage Renal Disease.

NEW Eligible Medicare enrollees can explore their Medicare plan options and compare coverages by visiting the New to Medicare Website.

EXISTING Medicare customers can explore possible changes in their Medicare plan by logging into Medicare’s Plan Comparison website.

The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) recognizes that navigating Medicare enrollment for our older residents can be challenging. As such, ODM has partnered with the Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP) to provide assistance to eligible individuals to help them enroll or update their enrollments in Medicare. OSHIIP provides free, objective health insurance information, 1-on-1 counseling, and navigation services to people eligible for Medicare and their caregivers. Individuals can access supports through OSHIIP in the following ways:

• Visiting their website for additional information.
• Calling their consumer hotline at 1-800-686-1578 where you can speak to a Medicare expert and receive counseling, comparisons, and assistance with enrollments Monday – Friday, 7:30am – 5pm.
• Virtually attending one of OSHIIP's Medicare Checkup Online Webinars.
• Scheduling a virtual, one-on-one counseling appointment.
• Schedule or attend a “Medicare Checkup Event” which are taking place across Ohio during the enrollment period. Medicare Checkup Events by date and location can be viewed here.

Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment

The Health Insurance Marketplace Open Enrollment period runs from November 1^st – December 15^th. Consumers who enroll by midnight on December 15^th will get a full-year coverage that starts January 1^st, 2024.  January 1^st, 2024. Partners and stakeholders are invited to share information about Marketplace open enrollment using the following Social Media Toolkit and Graphics. Individuals who would like to access coverage through the Marketplace can visit HealthCare.gov to update their information for 2024, review health coverage options, and enroll in a plan that best fits their needs.

With investments in the Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan, 4-out-of-5 HealthCare.gov customers can find health coverage for $10 or less per month with financial assistance. The Marketplace provides a critical coverage opportunity for consumers who may have lost Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage due to the Medicaid Unwinding following the end of the PHE.

Healthcare.gov has released several resources for consumers who are seeking information about Marketplace Open Enrollment:

• Marketplace Plan Year 2024 Open Enrollment Fact Sheet
• Plan Year 2024 State-Based Marketplace Open Enrollment Chart
• Consumer can apply for health coverage online at: https://www.healthcare.gov
• Find Local Help (Navigators, Certified Application Counselors, Agents & Brokers)
• 24/7 Gov Call Center: 1-800-318-2596 with assistance in over 200 languages, TTY: 1-855-889-4325
• Champions for Coverage can be contacted via email at [email protected], and Assisters who have individual client questions can contact CMS at [email protected].
• Health Insurance Marketplace Partner Resources Fact Sheet – which is intended to be used by providers or stakeholders who might be assisting clients with enrollment in Marketplace Insurance to provide them with the necessary information to assist members in their communities with health insurance enrollment.

Proposed Ohio law adds category for involuntary treatment due to mental illness.

H.B. 249, a proposed Ohio law would add a category “psychiatric deterioration” to the list of reasons why a person a could be “pink-slipped,” or undergo an involuntary mental health assessment.

This additional category would reach people suffering from severe mental illness to get them into treatment or receiving services sooner, lawmakers and supporters of bill say.

The bill also modifies the requirement that the person being “pink-slipped” must represent a substantial risk of physical harm to self or others. The bill would remove the requirement that the substantial risk of harm has to be a risk of physical harm.

Training and discussion on what constitutes “psychiatric deterioration” is also being encouraged by mental health advocates to make sure other individuals don’t fall victim to stigma surrounding mental health.

Issue 2 Would Legalize Recreational Marijuana. Automatic Record Expungements? Not So Much

A talking point in favor of legalizing recreational marijuana in Ohio says it will end arrests, court dates, jail sentences and fines for low-level marijuana possession and cultivation of the plant.

But state Issue 2, the initiated statute on the Nov. 7 ballot, says very little about criminal justice reform. It could make Ohio an anomaly. Every state that has legalized adult-use marijuana since 2018 has paired criminal justice reform with it.

Criminal justice advocates are calling on state lawmakers to make changes if it passes. Since Issue 2 is an initiated statute and not a constitutional amendment, the legislature can amend it.

To view the full article, click here.