Delaware

Centene Medicaid Dominance Continues with Delaware Expansion

Published

2 years ago

July 18, 2022

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Centene Medicaid Dominance Continues with Delaware Expansion

The insurer now holds Medicaid contracts in 30 states, representing practically 25% of complete market share.

Centene now holds Medicaid enterprise in 30 states with its most up-to-date award in Delaware, introduced final week.

Centene is the nation’s largest Medicaid insurer, with greater than 15 million members, together with 4 of the most important states: California, Florida, New York, and Texas. In Q1 2022, Louisiana and Indiana re-awarded its statewide Medicaid MCO contracts to Centene

Within the firm’s press launch, Centene CEO Sarah London acknowledged: “We look ahead to constructing on our practically 40 years of Medicaid expertise to enhance well being outcomes for Delaware residents and supply higher worth to the state.”

The Centene award expands Delaware’s Medicaid MCO depend to a few. Highmark Well being Choices Blue Cross Blue Defend has been within the state since 2015 and AmeriHealth Caritas since 2018.

In an company launch, Delaware Division of Well being and Social Companies Secretary Molly Magarik acknowledged: “These firms not solely will provide extra option to our Medicaid members, however additionally they perceive Delaware’s dedication to value-based care, and to the important companies that our Medicaid members want and deserve.”

Delaware Medicaid overview

Diamond State Well being Plan (DSHP) is the identify of Delaware’s Medicaid program, which integrates bodily, behavioral, and long-term care, the latter as part of DSHP-Plus. Whole enrollment is roughly 300,000.

Delaware is considered one of only some states with all-payer benchmarks — Medicaid, Medicare, and industrial insurers — for high quality and spending. Delaware can be a Medicaid enlargement state, with Medicaid/CHIP enrollment rising practically 24% throughout the pandemic (February 2020–March 2022) per information printed by the Kaiser Household Basis.

President and COO Brent Layton added: “It’s a privilege to be chosen by the state of Delaware to supply native healthcare companies and packages that deal with social determinants of well being and take away boundaries to take care of Medicaid members throughout the state.”

Centene’s Medicaid projections

Whereas Q2 2022 efficiency is forthcoming, Layton anticipated the next in Centene’s first-quarter investor name:

Redeterminations: “Our Medicaid development continues to be aided by the continuing suspension of redeterminations … [W]e anticipate the return of redeterminations in August … and are assured in our skill to retain and entice membership.”
Change enterprise: “So [in] the 29 states the place we have now Medicaid well being plans, we have now the change or our Ambetter product in 25 of them. So we’re in a position to overlap the counties and in a whole lot of methods, overlap the supplier community.”
Medicaid pipeline: “There is not any doubt the Medicaid RFP pipeline is reopening. It is far more like a 2017, ’18 and ’19 … [W] we have now ready for these [reprocurements] … However we additionally see a whole lot of new alternatives.”

Layton cites Centene’s shut relationships within the states the place it does enterprise, commenting within the Delaware award launch: “We’re excited to work with the state and suppliers on confirmed fashions of value-based care to ship transformative healthcare and enhance the well being of Diamond State Well being enrollees.”

Laura Beerman is a contributing author for HealthLeaders.

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Delaware

Newark approves recreational weed dispensary, still ways to go before opening

Published

1 hour ago

November 26, 2024

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Newark approves recreational weed dispensary, still ways to go before opening

Newark remains on track to be a competitive city for recreational marijuana in Delaware.

Two marijuana-related ordinances were approved at the Nov. 25 City Council meeting. The Council updated the city code regarding adult recreational use to match state law, as well as approved a special use permit for the eventual operation of a recreational dispensary in the city.

A special use permit allowing Fresh Delaware to operate in the city as a recreational marijuana business with cultivation, manufacturing and retail was approved with a unanimous vote.

“I think that Newark City Council can take a lot of pride in the fact that there are other towns and counties that are literally lost in the wilderness on this because they didn’t get things done in time,” Mayor Jerry Clifton said.

Fresh Delaware moves to open retail dispensary

Fresh Delaware and the area surrounding it was re-zoned to allow recreational marijuana cultivation, manufacturing and retail in August, but it required a special use permit from the city. Now, Fresh Delaware only has the state’s conversion process left to complete before it can shift from medical-only sales.

City council members uniformly had positive reviews for the representative of Fresh Delaware present at the meeting.

“You were a good neighbor,” Councilmember Corinth Ford said.

Fresh Delaware cultivates and manufactures its own product, and has an additional location in Seaford. It is one of the 13 medical dispensaries in the state. There is another area in Newark zoned to allow recreational marijuana business toward the Maryland border.

Fresh Delaware is on track to open for recreational sales in the spring, according to the state Office of the Marijuana Commissioner. Spring is the statewide goal for retail openings, though the store still has a ways to go on its conversion track.

Where other Delaware cities stand

As Newark approves a recreational business, other cities in the county are behind.

Wilmington has been back-and-forth on bans, buffers and zones while New Castle County government is discussing possible buffers for retail locations in December. Other cities in Delaware, including Rehoboth, Lewes and Bethany, banned retail altogether.

Wilmington recently asked the state to change the law to get a cut of any sales tax, but Mayor Jerry Clifton said he wants to take a wait-and-see approach on how the state government responds to its request.

Newark mirrors state code in recreational usage

The council updated the city code around recreational usage, updating its code to match the state. The city code now reads that people 21 and older can privately use a personal quantity of 12 grams or less of concentrated cannabis, or cannabis products containing 750 milligrams or less of delta-9 THC.

Public use is still a criminal misdemeanor, however, and using while under 21 years old is a civil violation. Smoking marijuana in public also violates state law. City solicitor Paul Bilodeau said private consumption can include someone’s backyard.

Some council members had ideas about how to regulate potential parties where the smell could spread from multiple smokers, but no official action was taken on those ideas.

The ordinance was approved unanimously by City Council.

“We are in a strange world where it is legal to consume marijuana in private, but it is illegal to buy it,” Bilodeau said.

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Delaware

Delaware County man speaks out following 2 crashes within hours outside Ridley Township home

Published

9 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

Delaware County man speaks out following 2 crashes within hours outside Ridley Township home – CBS Philadelphia

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Since 2014, there have been a total of 32 crashes at the intersection of Morton and Swarthmore avenues in Ridley Township, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

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Delaware

Burn Ban lifted in Delaware – 47abc

Published

18 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

DELAWARE – Delaware State Fire Marshals have announced that the statewide Burn Ban has been lifted as of Monday morning.

Residents are encouraged to continue practicing safety when burning fires outside, including keeping a fire at least 50 feet from all structures and never leaving a fire unattended.

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