HHS also approved Oregon’s policy to allow children under 6 to stay continuously enrolled in Medicaid.
The announcement comes after the Biden administration unveiled its new strategy for reducing food insecurity and diet-related illness, which included plans to ramp up public and private insurance coverage of medically-tailored meals and other interventions like nutrition counseling.
“This is an historic moment in our nation’s fight to end hunger and improve health equity, particularly in states like Oregon and Massachusetts,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a news release.
Oregon is the first state to have continuous coverage for children under 6, meaning once children are eligible, families will not have to reapply to Medicaid to keep them covered.
Oregon is receiving $1.1 billion from CMS to add the continuous coverage and address social determinants of health, including the effects of climate change, according to a news release from Gov. Kate Brown.
“With the approval of our Medicaid waiver, we will be taking an innovative, holistic approach to closing equity gaps by addressing health-related social needs –– such as housing, nutrition and support for extreme climate events,” Ms. Brown said in the release.
