Biden Admin In A Time Crunch Over Health Policy Rules For Medicaid, More
In order to avoid the risk of key policy rules on Medicaid, tobacco, reproductive health, and more being repealed by the next Congress, the White House has "just weeks" to finalize its decisions, Axios notes. Separately, a new bill aims to repeal mandatory Medicaid estate collections.
Axios:
Biden Faces Deadline To Finalize Key Health Care Rules
The Biden administration has just weeks to finish health policy regulations on Medicaid, tobacco, reproductive care and other key areas, to avoid any chance of them being repealed by the next Congress. (Knight, 4/15)
Dayton Daily News:
U.S. House Bill Seeks To Repeal Mandatory Medicaid Estate Recovery
The amount of money Ohio collects from the estates of deceased Medicaid recipients continued to climb last year as some federal lawmakers advocate ending the practice. The state collected more than $91.1 million last year through Medicaid estate recovery, according to the Ohio Attorney General’s office. The amount collected has climbed annually since 2017, state data shows. (Blizzard, 4/15)
Houston Chronicle:
More Than 2 Million Texans Lost Medicaid Coverage In Past Year, At Double The National Rate
Texas continues to disenroll Medicaid recipients at one of the highest rates in the country, part of a broader trend that has seen state health departments across the nation move unqualified recipients off their rolls after a surge in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Texas has so far removed 2.1 million Medicaid recipients from its rolls, which works out to 49% of the cases it has reviewed, more than twice the national average and a higher proportion than all but six other states, according to analysis by the nonprofit KFF. (Osborne, 4/15)
The New York Times:
5 Takeaways From A Year Of Medicaid Upheaval
Lindsey McNeil and her 7-year-old daughter, Noelle, who suffers from cerebral palsy and epilepsy, were jolted by an alert they received from Florida’s Department of Children and Families late last month that Noelle would be losing her Medicaid coverage 10 days later. Their lives have since begun to unravel, Ms. McNeil said. Noelle has stopped seeing the four therapists she visits each week and is running low on medications she needs to prevent her seizures from flaring up. Monday brought a measure of relief: Ms. McNeil learned that Noelle’s coverage had been temporarily reinstated as they wait for a resolution to an appeal filed with the state. (Weiland, 4/16)
On food safety rules —
Stat:
Bill Pushed By Grocers Would Gut FDA Food Safety Rules, Critics Say
In the last decade, Americans have been sickened by salmonella from cucumbers, listeria from Mexican-style cheese, and E. coli from romaine lettuce. Now, it would seem that Washington is finally getting serious about making sure the Food and Drug Administration has the power to promptly investigate and respond to foodborne outbreaks. (Florko, 4/16)
The Mercury News:
Why Tortillas Sold In California May Be Forced To Add A New Ingredient
Folic acid has long been used to prevent serious birth defects and help babies develop. Medical and public health experts advise daily consumption during pregnancy, but also in the months before becoming pregnant. This B vitamin is so important the federal government requires folic acid in certain foods such as enriched breads and cereals. Now a California lawmaker is carrying a bill that would require manufacturers of corn masa flour — used to make many classic Latino foods — to also add folic acid to their products. (Ibarra, 4/15)
