CMS Wants To Ease Obama-Era Rule That Requires States Show Their Fee-For-Service Payment Rates Are Adequate
State officials had complained that the 2015 rule imposed excessive administrative burdens. Medicaid news comes out of Iowa and California, as well.
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Seeks To Reduce State Reporting On Medicaid Access, Pay Cuts
The CMS wants to lower states' requirements for showing that their Medicaid fee-for-service payment rates are adequate to enlist enough providers to offer beneficiaries satisfactory access to care. The rule proposed Thursday would rescind a 2015 Obama administration rule requiring states to file an access monitoring review plan and update it at least every three years. (Meyer, 7/11)
Des Moines Register:
Iowa Medicaid Director Mike Randol Faith In Privatization Unshaken
Iowa Medicaid Director Mike Randol's belief in privatization is undaunted. Randol agreed the state and federal governments should pay $386 million more to national insurers who are managing Iowa's Medicaid program. But, he told reporters Thursday, he's still confident taxpayers are saving money by having the work done by private companies instead of state employees. “I’m a firm believer in managed care,” Randol said in a news conference. (Leys, 7/11)
Kaiser Health News:
Listen: Young Undocumented Californians Cheer Promise Of Health Benefits
Medicaid provides health care to low-income people. And California is set to be the first state to offer it to immigrants younger than 26 living there without legal permission. Starting in January, California will expand eligibility to include undocumented people ages 19 through 25. The change allows them to apply for full health coverage under Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid. It’s part of a bigger plan to eventually get everyone in the state covered. California is making the move at a time when other states and the Trump administration are trying to restrict who gets health benefits. (Caiola, 7/12)
