Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
ACA Effort To Fight Fraud Strips Thousands Of Doctors From Medicaid Approval List
Modern Healthcare: 65,000 Providers Have Been Cut From State Medicaid Rolls
A provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires providers to revalidate or recertify their Medicaid reimbursement eligibility has caused 65,000 providers to be stripped from the federal program, according to a Modern Healthcare analysis. Providers that enrolled in Medicaid before March 25, 2011, had to send in revalidation notices to the CMS on or before Sept. 25, 2016, or risk being dropped. The ACA provision was an effort to curb fraud, waste and abuse in the program. (Dickson, 2/22)
MedPage Today: Pushback Starts Against Possible Medicaid Makeover
Advocates for children, the elderly, and those with disabilities are gearing up to urge state governors and Congress not to advance proposals they believe will slash Medicaid dollars. Leaders of five advocacy groups professed deep concern over potentially shrinking Medicaid funding during a press call on Wednesday, ahead of the National Governors Association's Winter Meeting that begins Friday. (Firth, 2/22)
And in news about Iowa's controversial Medicaid managed care program —
Des Moines Register: Iowa Poll: Iowans Unsure About Privatized Medicaid
Iowa’s decision to hire private companies to run its Medicaid program has more than twice as many detractors as fans, a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows. However, more than half of Iowans don’t know what to make of the situation, the poll suggests. The controversial shift to private Medicaid management was pushed through last year by Gov. Terry Branstad. Thirty-three percent of Iowans say it has been a bad change, and just 13 percent say it has been a good change, the new poll shows. Fifty-four percent of poll participants are unsure. (Leys, 2/22)
The Associated Press: Companies Estimate Losses Of $450M On Medicaid In Iowa
Three private insurance companies that oversee Medicaid in Iowa say they expect to lose about $450 million in the first year of administering the health care program for the poor and disabled. Representatives for UnitedHealthcare, AmeriHealth Caritas and Amerigroup disclosed the estimate to lawmakers during a budget committee meeting Wednesday. (2/22)
