Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Fervently Embracing Obamacare, California Worries About Future Of Medicaid Expansion
Los Angeles Times: 13.5 Million Californians Are Covered By Medi-Cal. Here's How Trump's Plan Could Cost The State
Along with his vow to repeal Obamacare, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to restructure Medicaid, the nation’s low-income health program — a move that could be acutely felt in California, where 1 in 3 residents receive health coverage through the state version, experts say. Medi-Cal enrollment surged by 5 million over the last three years to a total of 13.5 million under President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. (Karlamangla, 1/16)
Richmond Times Dispatch: Bipartisan Fear Of Medicaid Block Grant Threat To Virginia
The potential replacement of the Affordable Care Act with a federal Medicaid block grant alarms both the General Assembly Republicans who oppose the federal health law and the administration of Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat who supports it. Administration officials and Republican budget leaders agreed Monday that the adoption of a block grant to replace the Medicaid entitlement program could put Virginia at a severe disadvantage in funding services ranging from children’s health to treatment of mental illness. (Martz, 1/16)
Raleigh News & Observer: NC, Federal Officials Ask Judge To Lift Block On Cooper’s Medicaid Expansion Plan
State and federal officials filed court motions Monday asking a judge to lift a court order that temporarily blocks Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan to expand Medicaid in this state before President Barack Obama leaves office. The requests come two days after U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan filed a restraining order blocking Cooper from trying to expand the state’s Medicaid program for at least the next two weeks. (Blythe, 1/16)
The Associated Press: Attorneys: Let Medicaid Expansion Process Continue In NC
Meanwhile, attorneys for the U.S. Justice Department filed a court memo supporting the state DHHS lawyers, who want U.S. District Judge Louise Flanagan to dissolve the temporary restraining order she issued Saturday. That action came after Moore and Berger sued to block federal regulators from approving Cooper's request. The U.S. attorneys say the case doesn't belong in federal court, in part because the legislators lack standing to sue. (Waggoner, 1/16)
North Carolina Health News: Audit Finds Continued Problems Signing Up Medicaid Recipients
Signing up Medicaid recipients quickly and accurately without improperly denying benefits is still a struggle for many county social service workers, according to a review released Thursday from the office of State Auditor Beth Wood. Many county social service workers continue to struggle to get Medicaid recipients signed up for the program quickly, they make mistakes in enrolling beneficiaries and deny benefits to people they shouldn’t. That’s according to a review released Thursday from the office of State Auditor Beth Wood. (Hoban, 1/13)
KCUR (Kansas City, Mo., Public Radio): Kansas Increases Advance Payments As Medicaid Backlog Continues
The Brownback administration has increased advance payments to nursing homes while a backlog of Kansas Medicaid applications persists. The administration instituted advance payments of 50 percent for nursing homes residents with pending applications last spring, when almost 11,000 applications backed up past the 45-day federal processing limit. The backlog of application for the state’s privatized Medicaid program known as KanCare was whittled to about 1,500 in September but is on the rise again. (Marso, 1/13)
The Oregonian: Feds Extend For Five Years Oregon's Healthcare Program For Poor
In the final week of the Obama administration, the federal government gave the state permission for what officials claim will be five more years of stability in how health care is delivered to Oregon's poor. Gov. Kate Brown on Friday hailed the news as a significant victory for the state's most vulnerable citizens. But the waiver renewal does not change the fact the state program is plagued by budget uncertainty. The Oregon Health Authority must come up with a new $350 million to pay for the program over the next two years. The federal government's contribution to Oregon's Medicaid operation is decreasing from 78 percent to 75 percent of the total. (Manning, 1/13)
