After Flood Of Reactions To Kentucky’s Medicaid Changes, CMS Extends Comment Period

Modern Healthcare: In Unusual Move, CMS Extends Comment Period On Controversial Kentucky Medicaid Waiver 
The CMS is taking the unusual step of extending the comment period on a proposal to change Kentucky's Medicaid program to include controversial provisions such as job requirements, cost-sharing and six-month lockouts for missed payments. The agency has received nearly 1,800 comments on the waiver. In comparison, Ohio's recent request generated 103 comments, while Arizona's drew 98 comments. (Dickson, 10/20)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Medicaid Expansion Enrollment Exceeds 326,000 New Members
More than 326,000 people have enrolled in Louisiana Medicaid Expansion since it went into effect July 1, marking a new milestone for the program, Louisiana Department of Health announced Thursday (Oct. 20). More than 24,000 of those new members have received preventative care visits with a provider. Such visits allow health care providers to preempt costly illnesses and other health problems through immunizations, lab tests, physical exams and prescriptions. They also allow physicians to educate patients about possible health risks. (Lipinski, 10/20)

Miami Herald: Nearly Half Of Nation's Uninsured Could Get Medicaid Or Marketplace Subsidies 
Nearly 12 million of roughly 27 million non-elderly people who lack health insurance – 43 percent - are eligible either for Medicaid or financial assistance for marketplace coverage, according to a new issue brief from the Kaiser Family Foundation. About 14 percent of those without coverage – 3.8 million - are working-age adults eligible for Medicaid, the state/national health insurance program for low-income Americans. Another ten percent – 2.6 million - are children eligible for either Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program. (Pugh, 10/20)