Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Advocates Fear Children's Health Insurance Could Be Threatened By Efforts To Change ACA
The Wall Street Journal: Pressure Grows To Fund Children’s Health Program
State officials increasingly worry that this year’s turbulent health-care politics could threaten funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, a popular initiative that usually wins broad bipartisan support. Federal funding for CHIP is set to end Sept. 30. The federal-state program provides health coverage to more than eight million low-income, uninsured children whose family incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid. (Armour, 8/29)
Modern Healthcare: Providers Feel The Pain Of Slow Medicaid Mental Services Rule Rollout
David Ramsey's hospitals and emergency departments in West Virginia see the effects of the opioid epidemic every day. Medicaid beneficiaries battling addiction and psychiatric disorders crowd into his emergency departments even though the CMS has launched a nationwide policy to pay for substance abuse treatment and stays at inpatient psychiatric facilities. But a year after that Medicaid policy became effective nationwide, Ramsey's hospitals have seen no relief. (Dickson, 8/29)
California Healthline: For Low-Income Drug Users, Medi-Cal Offers A Fresh Start
Breann Johnson stopped using heroin on Mother’s Day this year, determined to end her 13-year addiction. Days later, she began three months of residential treatment in Riverside, Calif. — all paid for by California’s Medicaid program. Johnson, who has two young sons, said other inpatient drug rehab programs had refused to accept Medicaid, and she knew outpatient care would not be enough to break her habit. (Gorman, 8/30)
Georgia Health News: Familiar Face In Health Care Circles Picked To Run Georgia Medicaid
A health care consultant and former deputy commissioner of the Department of Community Health has been named the new chief of Georgia Medicaid. Blake Fulenwider will also become a deputy commissioner of Community Health, effective Sept. 15, the agency said Tuesday. (Miller, 8/29)
