Texas Slipped Up: Bid Data ‘Leak’ Triggered A Medicaid Contract Spat

The Texas Tribune: State’s Premature Release Of Bid Documents Touches Off New Battle Over Medicaid Contracts
Aetna, which is set to win a multibillion Texas Medicaid contract, got a peek at sensitive information submitted by 17 rival health plans during the bidding process after the state Health and Human Services agency erred and sent competitors’ proposals to the health insurance giant too early, according to emails and documents obtained by The Texas Tribune. The early release of documents throws into doubt the legitimacy of a procurement worth about $116 billion over the next 12 years because it gave a single competitor a look at the other bidders’ playbooks while the procurement game was still on, several bidders argue. (Harper, 4/26)

AP: Kansas Blocks Medical Marijuana, Medicaid Expansion For Another Year
Kansas will remain among the handful of states that haven’t legalized the medical use of marijuana or expanded their Medicaid programs for at least another year. Republican state senators on Friday blocked efforts to force debates on both issues before the GOP-controlled Legislature’s scheduled adjournment for the year Tuesday. Supporters of each measure fell short of the 24 of 40 votes required to pull a bill on each subject out of committee. (Hanna and Murphy, 4/26)

CBS News: Oregon Medicaid Patients Get Air Conditioning, Mini Fridges As Climate Change Drives Health Concerns
Oregon is shipping air conditioners, air purifiers and power banks to some of its most vulnerable residents, a first-in-the-nation experiment to use Medicaid money to prevent the potentially deadly health effects of extreme heat, wildfire smoke and other climate-related disasters. The equipment, which started going out in March, expands a Biden administration strategy to move Medicaid beyond traditional medical care and into the realm of social services. (Young, 4/29)

Crain's Chicago Business: St. Anthony's Medicaid Pay Lawsuit Can Proceed, Court Rules
St. Anthony Hospital's lawsuit challenging slow payment by Illinois Medicaid plans can go forward, following a divided federal appeals court ruling yesterday. The nonprofit Chicago safety-net hospital sued the Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services, or HFS, over allegations the state failed to adequately oversee the seven insurance companies it contracted as managed-care organizations. (Asplund, 4/26)

On nursing and caregiver shortages —

Modern Healthcare: Nursing Homes May Use International Nurses To Meet Staffing Rule
The nursing home staffing mandate, finalized by the Biden administration earlier this week, will require long-term care facilities to provide residents with 3.48 hours of care daily. To adhere to registered nurse staffing requirements outlined in the rule, about 3,200 facilities across the country would have to hire nearly 13,000 additional registered nurses, according to estimates from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Devereaux, 4/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Millions Of American Kids Are Caregivers Now: ‘The Hardest Part Is That I’m Only 17’ 
Leo Remis goes to high school, plays videogames, and helps take care of his disabled mom. Three afternoons a week, he flexes his mom’s legs and arms to keep muscles from deteriorating and blood clots from forming. He does about 20 repetitions of each exercise. When her hands shake, he helps her eat and brushes her teeth. “It is my normal,” says Leo, a tall, lanky 15-year-old high-school freshman. There are an estimated 5.4 million children under the age of 18 providing care to parents, grandparents or siblings with chronic medical conditions or functional decline, up from about 1.3 million nearly 20 years ago, according to two reports from the National Alliance for Caregiving and others. (Ansberry, 4/27)