HHS Secretary Tom Price declared a public health emergency for Florida on Thursday, deploying 80 federal workers to respond to medical emergencies. The declaration gives CMS flexibility to provide services to storm victims. | AP Photo Officials ramp up response to get patients out of hurricane's way

As Hurricane Irma barrels toward Florida, health officials throughout the region are tapping federal and state resources to get hospital patients, nursing home residents and others safely out of the storm’s path while readying for any public health crises that may arise after the storm.

HHS Secretary Tom Price declared a public health emergency for Florida on Thursday, deploying 80 federal workers to respond to medical emergencies. The declaration gives CMS flexibility to provide services to storm victims.


Price similarly declared a public health emergency for Louisiana and Texas last week as Hurricane Harvey swamped the states. An agreement was reached allowing Louisiana providers to take in many evacuated patients.

“We rely on our federal partners to respond. Most people in our shelters right now are from Texas. So this allows our providers to get compensated for their care.” Parham Jaberi, assistant state health officer at the Louisiana Department of Health, told reporters on a call. “These are things that can happen on the fly.”

A similar situation could happen after Irma makes landfall. More than 60 Florida health care facilities, including 11 hospitals and 19 nursing homes, evacuated their buildings Thursday.Gov. Rick Scott ordered the Florida Health Department to close Friday as part of a wider evacuation order.

HHS has provided resources to both hurricane response efforts, but that funding will be reimbursed by FEMA, according to an HHS spokesperson. Congress approved a package containing $15.3 billion in Hurricane Harvey aid that includes more than $7 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund, just as that fund was set to run out. It’s unclear if there will be more money appropriated for Irma.

On to the rest of state news. Tips and story ideas always welcome at [email protected] and @rachanadixit on Twitter. Please send tips for the Golden State to [email protected] and @vcolliver.

With help from Brianna Ehley, Katie Jennings, Christine Sexton, Rachana Pradhan and Adam Cancryn.

FLORIDA — Under the state of emergency issued by Gov. Rick Scott, insurance companies and HMOs will be required to pay for prescription medications. Florida law allows pharmacists to dispense a 30-day supply in the areas or counties affected by an emergency order so long as the drug isn’t a Schedule II substance. Another law requires all health insurers, managed care organizations and other entities that are licensed by the Office of Insurance Regulation to pay pharmacies for at least a 30-day supply of any prescription drug, regardless of when it was most recently filled.

CALIFORNIA — Covered California for Small Business on Thursday revealed its plans and rates for the 2018 plan year. Premiums in the small business exchange will increase 5.6 percent, down from 5.9 percent in 2017. The program, which covers more than 35,000 Californians in 2017, is much smaller than Covered California's individual exchange, which covers about 1.2 million people and has 11 plan options. The small business exchange will include five plan options. One plan, Western Health Advantage, opted not to participate next year, a move that will affect 350 consumers.

INDIANA — The state attorney general is accusing CDC of trying to alter data on a needle exchange program that was put in place after an HIV outbreak devastated Scott County, the Indianapolis Star reports. After the state released a report late last year suggesting that drug use rose in that county following the implementation of the program, CDC officials took issue with the assertion and said evidence suggests drug use has remained stable. Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill opposes needle exchange programs as a response to the opioid epidemic.

ILLINOIS — A federal court ruled this week that the Illinois Medicaid program has to process a backlog of eligibility applications by Oct. 16 for long-term care consumers and providers. The case was filed by providers against Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Felicia Norwood. The plaintiffs claimed the state failed to process Medicaid applications and administer benefits in a timely manner, leading patients with long-term care needs to go without treatment. Judge Elaine E. Bucklo ruled that there was evidence to prove harm to long-term care patients from the delay in benefits. “It is fair to infer from these statements that without preliminary relief, patient plaintiffs may soon face discontinuation of their long-term care services,” Bucklo wrote. “Plaintiffs have the better argument. The public has an interest in ensuring that Medicaid eligible individuals promptly receive necessary medical services. This, after all, is why Medicaid exists.” Under the order, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services must determine eligibility for those with applications pending for more than 90 days. More here.

MAINE — Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap has altered the wording of Maine's Medicaid expansion ballot initiative to remove the word "insurance" and substitute it with "healthcare coverage," he announced this week. The change doesn't sync with the position of Gov. Paul LePage, who opposes Medicaid expansion and said in August that he would challenge the referendum on the grounds that it describes Medicaid as "insurance" rather than a welfare or entitlement program. The expansion initiative will appear on the ballot in November. If it passes, Maine would be the 32nd state to adopt the Obamacare provision expanding coverage to adults up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.

NEW JERSEY — The Christie administration advised health insurers to assume that the Trump administration will not pay Obamacare cost-sharing reduction payments when submitting their revised 2018 rate requests per the federal deadline earlier this week. The state Department of Banking and Insurance does not have the ability to set rates, but reviews rates and can "disapprove" them if they do not meet certain requirements. New Jersey allowed insurers to file two sets of proposed rates assuming scenarios in which the federal government paid and canceled the cost-sharing subsidies. "In the event that CSR payments become assured, between now and when the 2018 plan rates are final, the Department is ready to pivot to the lower rates — those assuming CSR payments continue — if CMS allows the change," an agency spokesman said.

VIRGINIA — Optima Health's pullback in the commonwealth may leave more than 62,000 Obamacare customers there without any coverage options next year. The insurer is limiting where it will sell individual insurance plans because of concerns about the market's stability. Its pullback leaves 63 counties and cities without any Obamacare health plans lined up for 2018. In a statement, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe blamed Optima's exit largely on the Trump administration and urged Congress to strike a deal on a stabilization bill.



STATE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

The path to funding state's CHIP program remains unclear after Senate hearing.

Drugmakers file suit over Nevada's new drug-pricing law.

States urge the Trump administration to tackle the opioid crisis.

How Houston hospitals helped with Harvey's recovery.

New grassroots group pushes for universal health coverage in California.