Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Alabama House Approves Bill That Could Provide Additional Funds For Medicaid
Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser: Alabama House Approves BP, Medicaid Settlement
The Alabama House of Representatives Wednesday voted 87 to 9 to approve a compromise BP settlement that would allocate $400 million of the estimated $639 million settlement to repayment of state debts. That should free $70 million for the Medicaid program in 2017. The bill would also allocate $15 million of the money directly to Medicaid, which would give the program the funding it says it needs to maintain services next year, and $105 million in fiscal year 2018. (Lyman, 9/7)
Kaiser Health News: Lack Of Medicaid Expansion Hurts Rural Hospitals More Than Urban Facilities
It isn’t news that in rural parts of the country, people have a harder time accessing good health care. But new evidence suggests opposition to a key part of the 2010 health overhaul could be adding to the gap. The finding comes from a study published Wednesday in the journal Health Affairs, which analyzes how the states’ decisions on implementing the federal health law’s expansion of Medicaid, a federal-state insurance program for low-income people, may be influencing rural hospitals’ financial stability. Nineteen states opted not to join the expansion. (Luthra, 9/7)
