Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Delays Still Plague Some Applications In Kansas For Medicaid's Long-Term Care Coverage
KCUR: For One Family, Move To Kansas Meant Medicaid Delays
All that Michael Sykes has to show for his months-long quest to get his mother’s nursing home bed covered by Medicaid is a pile of paperwork. Kansans like Sykes have been facing long waits to find out if they qualify for health coverage under KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program. The state has cleared up much of the backlog over the past year, but thousands of applications for long-term care coverage remain hung up. That has left applicants frustrated and forced nursing homes to absorb months of delayed payments. (Marso, 2/22)
KCUR: What’s The Matter With KanCare? Challenges On Four Fronts
KanCare is a $3 billion program that provides health insurance to more than 425,000 Kansans — complex and bureaucratic by its nature. And lately it seems the privatized Medicaid program has drawn more than its share of complaints from Kansas medical providers, beneficiaries and applicants. Some are the result of a switch in 2013 to management not by the state but instead by three private insurance companies, while others stem from court rulings or policymaker decisions. (Marso, 2/22)
The (Minneapolis) Star Tribune: Report Calls For Stronger Oversight Of Medicaid Spending For Disabled, Elderly
Minnesota does not collect adequate information to monitor programs that spend more than $2 billion annually on care and services for the elderly and people with disabilities, according to a legislative auditor report released Tuesday. ... However, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) does not provide adequate financial oversight of the organizations that provide the services, nor does it adequately regulate the workers who go into people's homes, the report said. (Serres, 2/21)
Colorado Public Radio: Grand Junction Shows How To Lower Medicaid Costs While Improving Care
Medicaid provides health insurance for more than a million Coloradans, who comprise about a fifth of the state population. Medicaid is also one of the largest parts of the state budget, and costs rise each year. That spurred lawmakers to support an experiment by a health care collaborative in the Western Slope, Rocky Mountain Health Plans. ... Patrick Gordon, associate vice president at Rocky Mountain Health Plans, spoke to Colorado Matters host Ryan Warner. (2/21)
