Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Class-Action Lawsuit OK'd Against Florida's 'Unwinding' Of Medicaid
News Service of Florida: Judge Gives The Go-Ahead To Medicaid Class-Action Lawsuit Against Florida
A federal judge has cleared the way for a class-action lawsuit that alleges Florida did not properly inform people before dropping them from the Medicaid program after a COVID-19 public health emergency ended. (Saunders, 4/30)
Cronkite News: A Year Of Medicaid ‘Unwinding’ Cuts 600,000, But Renews Nearly 2 Million On Arizona's Rolls
One year after restarting the pre-pandemic review process for enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System cut coverage for 611,144 recipients and approved 1,953,301 renewals, according to its eligibility dashboard. The agency is continuing to review coverage for 1,892 recipients as of April 5. The nationwide review process, referred to as “unwinding,” cut the Medicaid rolls in every state. (Tourlas, 4/29)
The Journalist's Resource: Pandemic Provisions Reduced Loss Of Medicaid For Beneficiaries Enrolled In Both Medicaid And Medicare, Study Finds
The loss of Medicaid coverage among Americans eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid — known as dual-eligible beneficiaries — was substantially reduced during the COVID public health emergency due to temporary policy changes, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open this month. More importantly, those policy changes, which prohibited the states from disenrolling people from Medicaid, reduced and to some extent eliminated the pre-pandemic racial disparity in Medicaid coverage loss. (Miller, 4/30)
More Medicaid developments —
AP: Mississippi Lawmakers Expected To Vote On Medicaid Expansion Plan With Work Requirement
Mississippi lawmakers are expected to vote this week on a proposal that would expand Medicaid coverage to tens of thousands more people, but it includes a work requirement that might not win federal approval. The state House and Senate passed separate expansion plans earlier this year. With the four-month legislative session pushing into its final days, negotiators from the two chambers submitted a compromise moments before a Monday night deadline. They declined to answer questions after emerging from a closed-door meeting, but the proposal was filed in legislative clerks’ offices. (Pettus, 4/29)
Modern Healthcare: CMS’ Daniel Tsai Defends Medicaid 80/20 Rule Against GOP Critics
A senior Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services official pushed back against Republican attacks on the agency's controversial long-term care regulations during a congressional hearing Tuesday. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) and other GOP lawmakers asserted that rules to boost pay for home- and community-based healthcare workers and to mandate minimum staffing levels at nursing homes could jeopardize providers and hamper access to care. (McAuliff, 4/30)
Modern Healthcare: Aetna’s Alleged Peek At Texas Medicaid Bids Prompts Protests
Texas gave two consultancies and a law firm a sneak peek into how managed care companies bid to run Texas’ $116 billion Medicaid program, which some insurers contend gave CVS Health's Aetna subsidiary an unfair advantage. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission last August released 18 companies’ redacted proposals to manage the state's Medicaid program to consultancy Health Management Associates and law firm Hahn, Loeser and Parks after the two submitted public information requests. (Tepper, 4/30)
KFF Health News: AC, Power Banks, Mini Fridges: Oregon Equips Medicaid Patients For Climate Change
Oregon is shipping air conditioners, air purifiers, and power banks to some of its most vulnerable residents, a first-in-the-nation experiment to use Medicaid money to prevent the potentially deadly health effects of extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and other climate-related disasters. The equipment, which started going out in March, expands a Biden administration strategy to move Medicaid beyond traditional medical care and into the realm of social services. (Young, 5/1)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week. (4/30)
