Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Advocates Hope Emerging Evidence About Economic Benefits Of Medicaid Expansion Will Nudge Kansas, Missouri Into Action
KCUR: What Other States Can Teach Kansas And Missouri About Expanding Medicaid
Health care advocates in Kansas and Missouri are hopeful that 2019 will be the year that hundreds of thousands of people can get health care coverage through expansion of Medicaid. It’s been blocked in both states by Republicans who question the price tag, but now that many states have had expanded Medicaid for several years, there’s a small but growing body of evidence about its actual costs. About five years ago, lawmakers in Iowa steered the state down a different course from many other Midwestern states when it opted to expand Medicaid. (Smith, 2/13)
The Hill: Utah Tests Trump On Medicaid Expansion
The Trump administration faces a key test with Utah's Medicaid program as the state seeks permission to use billions of federal dollars to expand coverage to only a fraction of the state’s residents. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) this week signed into law a limited Medicaid expansion plan, defying voters who approved a full expansion in November. (Weixel, 2/13)
Raleigh News & Observer: NC’s Medicaid Managed Care Contracts Face Potential Appeals, Delays
North Carolina is moving ahead with a plan to turn over its Medicaid health insurance program to five health insurers that will replace the state government as a provider of health coverage to 2.1 million residents. But one North Carolina organization rejected by state authorities for the coveted $6 billion Medicaid contract said Tuesday it wants to appeal the state’s Feb. 4 decision not to let it participate. My Health by Health Providers, a Morrisville-based consortium of 12 North Carolina hospital systems, is the first to announce that it plans to ask the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services to reconsider the contract award. Murawski, 2/12)
