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Looking for a previous story? Information previously located on this page has been placed in either the State Legislative Budget Activities pages or the Federal Activities page.

Note: Information provided in PDF files, unless otherwise noted.

Dual Integration Project new

April 17, 2012
AHCCCS is accepting comments on the draft demonstration proposal to create an integrated care system for individuals who receive both Medicare and Medicaid, also known as "dual eligibles." More information, including the draft proposal and the agenda for an upcoming meeting with the Health Plan Workgroup, is available on the links below:

Health Plans Workgroup Agenda 5/7/12
Dual Integration

Inpatient Limit new

Tues April 17, 2012
CMS approved SPA #11-012, which establishes a 25-day annual inpatient limit effective October 1, 2011. The limit applies to adults age 21 and older. See the link below for the CMS approval package.

SPA 11-0012

Provider Preventable Conditions

April 13, 2012
Beginning July 1, 2012, AHCCCS will implement policies that conform to the federal requirements in Section 2702 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) which prohibit Medicaid programs from reimbursing certain providers for services resulting from a “provider preventable condition” (PPC). See the link below for more information:

PPC Information

CMS Approves Waiver

April 6, 2012
On Friday, April 6, 2012, AHCCCS received approval under Arizona's Section 1115 Waiver, to move forward with two new programs critical to Arizona’s safety net healthcare delivery system – the Safety Net Care Pool and the Indian Health Services/tribal 638 facilities supplemental payment program. See the links below for additional information.

Governor's Announcement
Waiver Amendment Fact Sheet
SNCP Information
KidsCare II Information
I.H.S./638 Information
Prop 202 Options

Rate Reductions Update

Tuesday April 3, 2012
On April 2, 2012, the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) withdrew the lawsuit it filed against AHCCCS and the federal government challenging the 5% rate reductions which became effective October 1, 2011. For more information, please click on the link below:

October 1, 2011 Rate Reductions

340B Pricing Update

March 12, 2012
Beginning April 11, 2012, AHCCCS is implementing changes to the reimbursement methodology for FQHC and FQHC Look-Alike pharmacies. For additional information, please click on the link below.

Pharmacy Updates

Careers With AHCCCS

Tues Feb 14, 2012
AHCCCS is proud of the services it provides to the citizens of Arizona, and recognizes that delivery of these services would not be possible without a highly skilled workforce with a passion for public service. If you want more than just a place to work and you want to join an employee and member-focused organization, we invite you to explore the exciting career opportunities available at AHCCCS. We are looking for talented individuals to join our team. For more information about the agency, the positions available, and the experiences of current employees, click on the link below.

Careers with AHCCCS

Governor Brewer's Medicaid Reform Package

Thu  Jan 19, 2012
The tracking document below has information about the implementation status of Arizona’s Medicaid Reform plan. Continue to check the website for updates to the document. All previous stories can be found on the State and Legislative Budget Activities section of the website.

Tracking AZ's Medicaid Reform Plan, 1/18/2012  [127KB]   

AHCCCS Update Regarding Health Care Reform

  1. AHCCCS Activities

    Thu Jan 26, 2012
    AHCCCS has updated its analysis on Medicaid expansion scheduled to be effective January 1, 2014, pursuant to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Note, these estimates are based on information available at this time and should not be considered definitive as there remains a number of uncertainties. Federal guidance regarding a number of issues is forthcoming and is expected to have an impact on these estimates. Continue to check the website for updates to this information.

    ACA Prelim Estimates [40KB]


    Fri Dec 16, 2010
    Information regarding AHCCCS implementation of some of the Medicaid provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is provided below. This document will be updated regularly as information becomes available.

    AHCCCS Activities- 5/13/11 [45KB]

    For additional information about the ACA, please visit the Federal Activities page.


KidsCare Wait List

Tuesday May 1, 2012
There were 105,306 applicants on the KidsCare waiting list as of May 1, 2012. Please note, AHCCCS continues to verify eligibility for Medicaid and revise the KidsCare wait list accordingly.

Wed Feb 15, 2012
There were 136,843 applicants on the KidsCare waiting list as of February 15, 2012. Please note, this number does not mean all individuals on the waiting list are actually eligible for KidsCare. AHCCCS has recently updated the list to remove duplicate applications, children who have turned 19 and would no longer qualify for Kidscare, and individuals currently eligible under other AHCCCS programs . Typically, 30% of all applicants are denied for the KidsCare program. However, this percentage will become less precise as more time goes by, since the applications on the waiting list will be older and circumstances for those applicants change. Thus, there is no good way to predict how many of the applicants on the waiting list might be eligible for KidsCare. Regardless, AHCCCS will continue to update the waiting list number at the end of each month.

Fri Dec 29, 2010
AHCCCS continues to work with CMS on issues related to the KidsCare program, including the impact of the Enrollment freeze. For additional information about the Enrollment cap, visit:

KidsCare Enrollment Cap

Information about denial and discontinuance activity in the KidsCare program can be found at:

KidsCare Activity