State Health Updates

• California – Governor Gavin Newsom announced the next round of Bond Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program awards, with a $1.18 billion investment to fund an additional 66 projects across 130 behavioral health facilities, including in rural and tribal communities, and create more residential and crisis treatment centers statewide. The state has now delivered to local communities a combined 6,919 residential treatment beds and 27,561 outpatient slots, exceeding Proposition 1 statewide goals in just two years and supporting 177 projects across 333 facilities.
• Colorado – Connect for Health Colorado, the state’s official health insurance Marketplace, is accepting applications for enrollment and referral partners across the state—advancing its mission to provide customers with expert assistance to enroll in affordable health insurance.
• Connecticut – Access Health CT, the state’s official health insurance Marketplace, announced that applications are open for the 2026 Broker Academy Program. The Broker Academy is a free program which recruits and trains individuals from hard-to-reach communities in Connecticut to become licensed health insurance brokers. The program aims to diversify the field and create trusted community resources for people living in areas with high uninsured rates.  
• Maine
  • Governor Janet Mills issued a video statement on the state’s response to CMS’ request for information about the management of the state’s Medicaid program, noting that the state “sent back a comprehensive response” and highlighting its steps to fight fraud. 
  • CoverME.gov, the state’s official health insurance Marketplace, published its 2026 Open Enrollment Overview report. As a result of the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits, the state saw the lowest overall enrollment since transitioning to a State-Based Marketplace in 2021. 
• Minnesota 
  • Governor Tim Walz today announced a proposal to transform Minnesota’s human services system. The proposal would streamline Minnesota’s service delivery model, moving away from the complex, layered administration managed by a patchwork of counties, managed care organizations, and state agencies to a single, centralized entity.
  • The Minnesota Department of Health released new data which shows a steep rise in the number of uninsured Minnesotans, increasing the uninsured rate from a historic low of 3.8% in 2023 to 5.8% in 2025. This equates to approximately 116,000 more Minnesotans without health insurance, the highest uninsured rate for the state since 2017.
• Montana – The Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Department of Administration hosted a webinar for vendors interested in upcoming requests for proposals for the RHTP. The slide deck is available. As a reminder, SHVS continues tracking state RHTP implementation: this expert perspective identifies the state agencies leading RHTP work and includes links to state RHTP webpages. 
• Nebraska – The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services has posted requests for applications for three grant opportunities under the RHTP: Make Rural Nebraska Healthy Again Through Food as Medicine; the Rural Health Care Workforce Incentive and Sustainability Model; and the Chronic Disease Management Navigation and Education Initiative. 
• New Mexico – New Mexico Medicaid now covers traditional healing practices for Native American Medicaid members in participating tribes, nations or pueblos, expanding culturally appropriate health services provided by certified traditional healers. 
• New York
  • New York State of Health published a statement clarifying when and how citizenship and immigration information are used when someone is applying for health coverage and clarifying that information is shared when the law requires it.
  • The New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) Office of Rural Health announced at its recent Rural Health Council meeting that CMS approved the state’s revised RHTP budget of $212 million and the state’s four initiatives with little to no change. NYS DOH expects to make the applications available by late spring/early summer in order to meet CMS requirements that funding must be obligated by October 30, 2026.
• North Carolina 
  • The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) announced major updates to the statewide online mental health bed registry. The Behavioral Health Statewide Central Availability Navigator (BH SCAN) is now updated hourly instead of once per day and has been integrated with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to allow 988 dispatchers to connect to BH SCAN for mental health bed availability in the caller’s area to make sure there are no disruptions to care.
  • NCDHHS, the Department of Public Safety, Alliance Health and New Hope Treatment Centers are partnering on a pilot program to improve mental healthcare for young people involved in the justice system. The $3.5 million investment from NCDHHS will fund a new mental health program operated by New Hope Treatment Centers at the Dillon Juvenile Detention Center in Butner.
• Oklahoma – The state released a quick-reference guide on the RHTP, including frequently asked questions on funding distribution, oversight measures, and fund uses. 
• Rhode Island – HealthSource RI, the state’s official health insurance Marketplace, concluded its open enrollment period with a 10% decline in individual and family enrollments from the record-high close of last year’s open enrollment, given increased costs due to the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits. Bronze plan selections rose steeply (from 21% to 32%) as silver and gold selection fell off (from 38% to 31% and 38% to 35% respectively).
• Washington 
  • Governor Bob Ferguson signed legislation preserving no-cost preventive services for Washington residents. The bill changes state law to tie the coverage of vaccines to recommendations from the Washington state Department of Health. The bill sets the coverage standards for other preventive services based on recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Health Task Force and Health Resources and Services Administration, effective on June 30, 2025.
  • Washington Health Benefit Exchange CEO Ingrid Ulrey released a statement on the final state legislative budget impacts for Exchange customers. The legislature maintained $55 million for the state’s premium assistance program for plan year 2027.
• West Virginia – Governor Patrick Morrisey called on the West Virginia Legislature to move quickly on legislation to authorize the deployment of $199 million in federal funding to launch the state’s RHTP, warning that delays could jeopardize critical healthcare improvements.