What is Happening?

Since March 2020, federal law has generally required states to keep most people with Medicaid enrolled in coverage regardless of changes – like a change in income – due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal law recently changed, and now, enrollees who no longer qualify for Medicaid or who do not complete their renewal may be terminated from coverage.

An estimated 40,000-80,000 Nebraska Medicaid enrollees will no longer be eligible and will be terminated from coverage, and the first possible terminations started in April 2023. Many others may not be aware that renewals are restarting, and failure to complete renewal paperwork or requests for information may lead to termination of coverage. DHHS has identified at least 145,000 Nebraskans that may be at risk of losing their coverage – this highlights that many more Nebraskans may be at risk of losing their coverage, even if they are still eligible for Medicaid.

Renewals Have Restarted

In March 2023, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) started evaluating whether Medicaid enrollees are eligible to continue to receive Medicaid coverage. DHHS is generally required to complete a full renewal of a Medicaid enrollee’s case before terminating Medicaid coverage. During this process, DHHS will be sending notices to current Medicaid enrollees and may be requesting information or explaining changes in coverage.

What Should Medicaid Enrollees Do?

1. Update Contact Information with DHHS Now

   1. Online at ACCESSNebraska.ne.gov

   2. By Phone at (855) 632-7633

   3. By Email at DHHS.ANDICenter@nebraska.gov

   4. By Fax at (402) 742-2351

2. Check Mail/Email and Watch for Communications from DHHS

3. Complete Verification Requests and/or Medicaid Renewal Forms on time

4. Contact Nebraska Appleseed with any issues or for further assistance at neappleseed.org/gethelp.

Resources Available

• Visit or share Nebraska Appleseed’s Preparing for Medicaid Renewals Website, which includes a Community Fact Sheet with tools to find local help.

• Visit Nebraska DHHS’s Preparing to Renew Medicaid Coverage Website and subscribe for updates.

• • The Nebraska Homeowner Assistance Fund (NHAF) has added assistance for past-due utilities and internet services, future payments for those with a deferred balance on their primary mortgage, and increased assistance for qualified homeowners from $30,000 to $40,000.
  • The program continues to assist with past-due mortgage payments, past-due real estate taxes, past-due homeowner association dues, past-due homeowners or flood insurance, and clearing liens from a homeowner’s property.

• The Nebraska Homeowner Assistance Fund (NHAF) provides relief to pandemic-impacted homeowners that have experienced a COVID-19 related financial hardship that began or continued after January 21, 2020
• Income limits apply
• Learn more at NebraskaHAF.com 

Arbor Lodge Outing

Please follow the link to see their flyer.

The current care gap that excludes families that include children with severe disabilities has led to Nebraska having the 5th highest cost of services in the nation. We end up paying for the most expensive services.  This waiver will help us bring down the average cost of services from $63,000 per individual to a $12,000 cap.  It may look like new money but really this is just changing where we would spend the money — from emergency services that cost us on average over $130,000 per individual per year to ensuring these children get the proper early and preventative services in their home instead of in an emergency room.

I believe these changes will decrease the number of children currently on the waiting list for home and community-based services. It will also provide support to family caregivers, allowing them to remain in the workforce. Remaining in the workforce means the family and the state can benefit from the family caregivers’ private health insurance as a first payer, thereby lessening the demand on Medicaid. 

I introduced the bill last year. On general file, or first round of debate, the bill had good support. On select file, even though it was a committee priority bill and was already calculated into the budget, the bill was filibustered and failed to advance. This year, I gave the bill my personal priority to get it back on the agenda. After some negotiation and an amendment, LB 376 has advanced to final reading.

LB 251 and LB 1082 both expand opportunities for organ donation. Marigold is a young lady who is actively supporting the bills. In this photo, Ms. Helvey and Senator Machaela Cavanaugh share a few moments in the Capitol.

I would like to thank the many people who have contacted me in support of restoring the Mother’s Room. It has been very gratifying to hear the passionate voices of so many. I can’t thank you enough!

For those who may not know, I was instrumental in 2019, my first year at the Legislature, in getting a room set up for pregnant women and nursing moms to go to rest and to nurse a baby or pump breast milk. A former office on the second floor of the Capitol was remodeled with private donations to provide a sink, changing table and furnishings for mothers and babies.  At the time, I was a nursing my youngest child.

I recently learned from one of the nursing moms that works in the building that it is no longer available. When I investigated I found out it is now being used as an office again during the current stage of the heating and air conditioning upgrade. I was, and remain, outraged! That room was customized for a specific purpose with private donations! There are other options for the one person that needed an office.  In fact, I vacated my private office to be used for that person and I’ve now set up an office in a cubicle next to my staff.

Although the office assigned to me remains empty and the person remains in the Mother’s Room, the Chair of the Executive Board has informed the Legislature that it will be returned to use as a Mother’s Room as soon as possible. For now, the mamava pod on the first floor is an option but be aware, nursing moms, there is no way to wash your hands or wash the equipment so in my opinion is not adequate. If you have problems using the code (provided by staff at the info desk) or the app, Security has a key. Please let me know of any problems you encounter using the pod.

Machaela

Over the past two evenings, thousands of students have publicly shown their criticism of the University of Nebraska- Lincoln administration’s handling of sexual assault cases on campus, including a lack of support for survivors of sexual violence. It is clear that University leadership has already lost the trust of a significant portion of the student body on basic issues of safety on campus. We empathize with these students and their advocacy, and are deeply concerned that these issues have been of repeated public concern over the last several years.

Several Senators have written Chancellor Green. The full letter is linked below.

Senator Letter August 26, 2021

Special Session planned for September

Speaker Mike Hilgers has announced a plan to schedule a Special Session for the Legislature to address redistricting from September 13 through September 30th. 

The finalized census data in a preliminary format is expected in mid-August. After receipt of this data, the Legislative Research Division will need approximately two weeks to re-format the data into a useable form. This time line leaves two weeks for the Redistricting Committee to work with the finalized data to prepare proposed maps and draft legislation prior to the start of the special session. The law needs passed and the maps provided to the Secretary of State prior to October 1. This will allow the Secretary of State and local officials to have time to prepare for the 2022 elections. For instance, voting precincts cannot cross a newly drawn legislative district boundary, so depending on the newly drawn districts some voting precincts will need to be redrawn by county election officials next fall. 

The special session is limited to the purpose outlined in the call of the session, and no bills introduced outside the scope of the call will be considered. Specifically, and pursuant to the Nebraska Constitution, the Legislature’s redistricting responsibilities include redrawing districts for the Legislature, the Supreme Court, the University Board of Regents, the Public Service Commission, and the State Board of Education. The federal Constitution and federal law also place with the state legislatures the responsibility of redistricting for members of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

In addition to addressing redistricting legislation, the Legislature will be confirming gubernatorial appointments made between the end of our session in May and the beginning of the special session. Traditionally, the Legislature has always conducted confirmation hearings during a special session. While not specifically mentioned in special session calls, Attorney General Opinions hold that gubernatorial appointments fall within an administrative function of the Legislature, and thus, do not need to specifically be mentioned in the call. In addition to confirmation hearings and reports, standing committees may utilize the first few days to continue their interim work on study resolutions and to informally work on carryover legislation from the first session. No official action can be taken on any carryover legislation during the special session.

Page applications available to all Nebraska college students

The application process for the Page Program is now available to any Nebraska college

student who may be interested. The deadline for submitting page applications and letters

of recommendation for the 2022 legislative session will be Friday, October 1 at 5:00 p.m.

The page selection committee will meet in October to select individuals to fill those

Positions. For more information. https://nebraskalegislature.gov/unicampages/

Newly proposed regulation changes relating to childcare centers and certain schools or school programs has garnered a lot of comments.   These proposed administrative regulations are in response to FEDERAL law and not as a result of any bill passed by the Nebraska Legislature. The federal Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 requires DHHS to develop a state plan that includes group size limits for specific age populations, as determined by the State.  The group size limit is in addition to provider-to-child ratios. The federal law requires A PLAN but does not require certain ratio or size limits. The state can alter those limits in their state plan.

A public hearing on these proposed regulations was held on May 19th.  My staff attended the hearing and I’ve been in contact with local representatives from some of the affected programs.  While the deadline for public comment has passed, the department has indicated because of the large amount of feedback, it will continue to take comments but has asked that those comments are submitted ASAP.  Any comments should be sent to:  DHHS.Regulations@nebraska.gov.

Also, there will be another public hearing on this matter and another opportunity for parents and providers to weigh in on the proposed regulations.

Please let me know if you have any questions.