Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Alaska Gov. Hints At Veto Of Medicaid Reform Bill That Fails To Expand The Program
The Associated Press: Alaska Gov Says Medicaid Reform Without Expansion Unacceptable
Gov. Bill Walker said Monday that he could not support Medicaid reform legislation without Medicaid expansion. In an interview with The Associated Press, Walker said reform and expansion go hand-in-hand. To have reform and not expansion, he said, would be unacceptable. (Bohrer, 4/13)
Alaska Dispatch News: Walker Presses Medicaid Expansion As Legislators Try To Cut Program Cost
With one week left in this year’s 90-day legislative session, Gov. Bill Walker for the first time hinted at vetoing a bill that would cut the costs of the public Medicaid health care program without expanding it to cover more Alaskans. Alaska’s Medicaid program primarily covers low-income families and residents who are pregnant or disabled. ... The House Finance Committee heard hours of public testimony Saturday on Walker’s legislation to expand the program, with most of the comments favoring his proposal. But the committee’s chairs on Monday left Walker’s bill off their agenda, instead scheduling a hearing on a new House bill they sponsored that, like a Senate bill introduced earlier, would cut Medicaid costs without expanding it. (Herz, 4/13)
Alaska Public Media: Lawmaker Sends Questionable Email On Medicaid Expansion
A Republican lawmaker from Eagle River sent an e-mail Friday attempting to rally opposition to Medicaid expansion. In the email, obtained by KTUU, Lora Reinbold distributes the call-in number to testify at a Saturday House Finance hearing. She writes, “We are trying not to get the number out to the pro expansion for they are much more organized.” ... Reinbold says the email was intended to encourage people who want to “preserve the fiscal future of Alaska” to have their voices heard. (Feidt, 4/13)
Columbia (S.C.) State: SC Senators To Introduce Plan To Insure Nearly 200,000 Working Poor
A bipartisan group of South Carolina senators will introduce a proposal Tuesday to allow about 194,000 uninsured state residents to use federal and state dollars to buy private health insurance. ... Previous attempts to expand the federal-state insurance program for the poor in South Carolina, as part of the federal Affordable Care Act, have failed. And Republican Gov. Nikki Haley repeated Monday that she would fight the latest Senate attempt as well. The senators’ proposal would cover the working poor, those who make too much to be eligible now for Medicaid insurance for the poor but cannot afford to buy health insurance. (Cope, 4/13)
Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier: Senators Renew Push For Medicaid Expansion Debate
A bipartisan group of senators plans to push for S.C. lawmakers to accept federal health care money that Gov. Nikki Haley and other Republicans have previously rejected. A state budget amendment would allow more of South Carolina’s poorest residents access to health care through new money from the federal government. ... Sens. Joel Lourie, D-Columbia; Ray Cleary, R-Murrells Inlet; Paul Campbell, R-Goose Creek; and John Matthews, D-Orangeburg, are calling for debate during upcoming budget talks, according to a news release Monday from AARP South Carolina, which supports the change. (Borden, 4/13)
The Charlotte Observer: Study: NC Would Come Out Ahead On Medicaid Expansion
If North Carolina were to expand Medicaid coverage, savings and revenue would likely offset the cost to state taxpayers, a recent study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation indicates. North and South Carolina are among 22 states that have refused to accept federal money to extend Medicaid to able-bodied, low-income adults as part of the Affordable Care Act. Although the federal government pays 100 percent of the cost for expansion through 2016 and at least 90 percent after that, some state leaders have balked at the additional state cost, which is estimated at just over $3 billion for North Carolina over 10 years. (Helms, 4/13)
Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star: Petitioners Rally On Capitol Steps To Support Medicaid Expansion
In the wake of the Legislature's third denial last week of a bill that would expand Medicaid, at least two petitions with more than 2,000 signatures were delivered to Gov. Pete Ricketts Monday. They were added to several other petitions that have been signed in the past three years, according to Cathy Lohmeier, who started one petition in 2012. "I had over 2,000 people sign it," she said. (Young, 4/13)
The Associated Press: Tennessee House Approves $450M Hospital Fee To Draw Down Federal Money
The state House has voted 90-2 to approve an annual $450 million assessment on Tennessee hospitals to draw down $826 million in federal money. Democrats were quick to point out that the about 2-to-1 match rate pales in comparison to vastly more favorable rate the state would have received if lawmakers approved Gov. Bill Haslam's Insure Tennessee proposal. Under Haslam's plan, hospitals would have covered the $74 million state share to draw down $2.8 billion in federal Medicaid funds to cover more than 280,000 low-income Tennesseans. (4/13)
