Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Arkansas Cuts 80,000 From Medicaid In 2017 After Eligibility Review
The Associated Press: Arkansas Removes 80K From Medicaid After Eligibility Review
Officials at the Arkansas Department of Human Services say more than 80,000 people were removed from the state's Medicaid rolls in 2017 after new technology and data were used to show they were ineligible for the benefits. Nearly one-third of those cases involved people who did not report changes of address as required by the state. More than 25,000 people were removed from the program because they were receiving public benefits from more than one state. (12/19)
Arkansas Online: State Medicaid Rolls Cut By 2,900
Enrollment in Arkansas' Medicaid expansion program, known as Arkansas Works, fell by about 2,900 people in November to just under 307,000, the state Department of Human Services reported Tuesday. In a meeting with reporters, Human Services Department officials also outlined eligibility verification efforts they said have resulted in the removal of about 73,000 people from the program since the beginning of 2017. (Davis, 12/20)
The Hill: Dem Rips Disaster Package For Failing To Address Medicaid In Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
A top Democratic lawmaker on Tuesday ripped the House’s disaster funding package for failing to include any provisions helping Medicaid programs for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. “It’s disgraceful that the House Republican’s emergency supplemental funding package does absolutely nothing for the more than 1.6 million Americans in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that are counting on Medicaid in the wake of overwhelming devastation,” said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (N.J.), the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. (Weixel, 12/19)
The Oregonian: Oregon Officials Prepare For Shutdown Of The State's Second Largest Medicaid Carrier
Oregon health officials are preparing to transfer the roughly 113,000 Portland-area Medicaid recipients to a new health care provider in January after their current carrier, FamilyCare, announced it would likely close. On Monday, FamilyCare president and CEO Jeff Heatherington put the company's chance of survival at "probably about 5 percent at the best." He said the state's proposed reimbursement rates for 2018 are too low and estimated that medical costs would exceed revenues by $95 million, forcing the company into bankruptcy. (Borrud, 12/19)
The CT Mirror: Session For Medicare Fix Delayed Until Early January
State legislative leaders Tuesday again delayed their plans to reverse cuts to the Medicare Savings Program in December, but pledged to restore all funds in early January. Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate, who had petitioned the General Assembly into special session between Dec. 24 and 29, said they now hope to gather the full legislature on Jan. 4 or 5. ... Leaders said they have reached a tentative agreement to redistribute about $54 million from other line items in the budget to shore up the Medicare Savings Program. Otherwise an estimated 113,000 low-income seniors and disabled would lose some or all of the assistance they currently get starting in late February. (Phaneuf, 12/19)
