Arkansas Hopes To Reinstate Work Requirements For Medicaid

AP: Arkansas Governor Wants To Revive State's Medicaid Work Requirements Under Trump Administration
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Thursday she wants to impose work requirements on some Medicaid recipients, hoping to revive and expand a restriction that was blocked by the courts but could get a new life under the Trump administration. Sanders’ comments come as fellow Republicans in several other states are seeking similar requirements along with other cuts or restrictions to Medicaid, which covers about 80 million people nationally. More than 18,000 people lost coverage when Arkansas previously enacted work requirements under Sanders’ predecessor, Asa Hutchinson, in 2018. (DeMillo, 1/16)

The Boston Globe: State Of Commonwealth: Healey Vows Lower Costs, Improve Healthcare
Saying it is time to “build our future,” Governor Maura Healey on Thursday laid out a wide-ranging agenda in her State of the Commonwealth address, vowing to rebuild roads and bridges, make it easier to get a doctor’s appointment, and transition homeless families out of hotels and motels by the end of the year. Addressing lawmakers, elected officials, and a primetime audience, the first-term Democrat laced her near hour-long speech with a series of new plans and calls for the Democratic-led Legislature to join her in realizing her initiatives. (Stout and Huynh, 1/16)

CBS News: New State Reports Aim To Educate Coloradans About Health Care Costs And Investments
New reports out Thursday provide an inside look at the health of Colorado hospitals: what's coming in and what's being put back into the community. And while hospital profits grow, so do expenses. After years of operating in the dark, hospitals across Colorado are now required to disclose more information than ever before. (Morfitt and Alejo, 1/16)

New Hampshire Bulletin: NH Officials Discuss Solutions For Surprise Ambulance Bills
New Hampshire lawmakers are trying to address the yearslong struggles of patients who take an ambulance and end up surprised with massive bills even when they have health insurance. The House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee held hearings Wednesday on dueling bills that each offer proposed solutions to the problem. (Skipworth, 1/16)

The New York Times: Sick Prisoners In New York Were Granted Parole But Remain Behind Bars
When the letter arrived at Westil Gonzalez’s prison cell saying that he had been granted parole, he couldn’t read it. Over the 33 years he had been locked up for murder, multiple sclerosis had taken much of his vision and left him reliant on a wheelchair. ... But six months have passed, and Mr. Gonzalez is still incarcerated outside Buffalo, because the Department of Corrections has not found a nursing home that will accept him. Another New York inmate has been in the same limbo for 20 months. Others were released only after suing the state. (Kliff, 1/17)

CBS News: San Francisco Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax Announces Resignation
Dr. Grant Colfax, the San Francisco's public health director who oversaw the city's responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and fentanyl crisis, announced his resignation on Thursday. Colfax is stepping down after spending nearly six years as the city's leading health official. The San Francisco Department of Public Health did not provide a reason for his resignation. (1/16)

KFF Health News: For Homeless Seniors, Getting Into Stable Housing Takes A Village — And A Lot Of Luck
Over two years ago, Kim Hilton and his partner walked out of their home for the final time. The house had sold, and the new landlord raised the rent. They couldn’t afford it. Their Social Security payments couldn’t cover the cost of any apartments in northwestern Montana’s Flathead Valley. Hilton’s partner was able to move into her daughter’s studio apartment. There wasn’t enough space for Hilton, so they reluctantly split up. (Bolton, 1/17)