Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Democrats Focus On Medicaid Work Requirements In Race For Coveted Kentucky House Seat
The Associated Press: Medicaid Becomes Latest Sparring Issue In Congressional Race
U.S. Rep. Andy Barr said Tuesday that Kentucky's efforts to put work requirements on many Medicaid recipients would be in their best interests, leading them toward self-sufficiency and away from reliance on the government health insurance program. That stance could elevate health care as a flashpoint in a congressional race that Democrats think gives them their best chance to gain a seat this year in a state that has trended heavily toward Republicans. It puts the GOP incumbent at odds with his opponent in Kentucky's 6th District, Democrat Amy McGrath, who says she values encouraging people to work but cautions that a work requirement shouldn't be used punitively. (Schreiner, 7/3)
The Associated Press: Judge's Ruling Slows Plans For Medicaid Work Requirement
The Trump administration's drive to wean poor people from government benefits by making them work has been slowed down by a federal judge. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg framed a fundamental question: Are poverty programs meant to show tough love or to help the needy? Boasberg last week halted Kentucky's first-in-the-nation experiment with Medicaid work requirements, ruling that the Trump administration glossed over potential coverage losses. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 7/4)
The Hill: Kentucky Dentists Say Kids Wrongly Denied Care Over Medicaid Cuts
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin’s (R) decision to cut Medicaid benefits for thousands of adults in the state has created confusion, in some cases reportedly resulting in dentists wrongly denying care to patients. Dentists told Kentucky’s Courier-Journal that they have had to deny care to some patients, including children, who incorrectly appeared in the state’s computer system as having lost coverage, even though they are supposed to be exempt from the cuts. (Chalfant, 7/4)
KCUR: Colyer: Kansas Will Pursue Medicaid Work Rules Despite Court Ruling
Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer says he will continue to push for a Medicaid work requirement despite a recent court order blocking a similar policy in Kentucky. Last week, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, an Obama appointee in the District of Columbia, questioned whether the Trump administration had adequately considered the consequences of Kentucky’s work requirement before reversing longstanding federal policy to approve it. (McLean, 7/3)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Kentucky Ruling On Medicaid Work Requirement Could Stall Ohio's Waiver
"My guess is the administration might pause in approving other waivers, including Ohio's, until the Kentucky decision gets figured out," said Rea Hederman, executive director of the Economic Research Center and vice president of policy at The Buckeye Institute, a right-leaning think tank. "I will be a little surprised if they continue to approve the waivers as they have been."CMS first will likely either appeal the Kentucky ruling or revise its approval of the waiver, he said. (Christ, 7/3)
In other Medicaid news —
The Associated Press: Governor Says Hospital Tax Could Cover Medicaid Expansion
Maine's Republican governor is publicly laying out a proposed tax hike on hospitals to pay for voter-approved Medicaid expansion. Gov. Paul LePage's office says Medicaid expansion will offset a tax hike by decreasing charity care and bad debt. Maine's hospital tax rate is 2.23 percent, and Rabinowitz said Maine could go up to six percent. Maine Hospital Association lobbyist Jeffrey Austin previously told The Associated Press that Maine hospitals pay $100 million in annual taxes and would oppose an increase. (7/4)
Modern Healthcare: Missouri Adds New Medicaid Leverage For Managed-Care Companies
Tension between managed-care contractors and Medicaid-reliant hospitals is boiling in Missouri, where the state is docking Medicaid payments for providers who don't join one of the three managed-care networks. Missouri's move, which went into effect July 1, has sparked an outcry from hospitals, who frame it as the state tipping its hand in what are often fraught negotiations with payers. The new regulation imposes a 10% fee-for-service cut on any provider who doesn't opt into the networks run by Centene, which does business in Missouri as Home State Health Plan, UnitedHealthcare and WellCare. Twelve of the state's 160 hospitals have not yet joined at least one of three plans' networks. (Luthi, 7/3)
Omaha World-Herald: Iowa Awards Medicaid Contract To Company With $23 Million In Fines
A newspaper investigation found that a company chosen to manage Iowa’s newly privatized Medicaid system has a history of alleged mismanagement and at least $23 million in fines in more than a dozen states. The Des Moines Register reported that Iowa Total Care, a Centene subsidiary, was awarded a state Medicaid contract in May despite scoring nearly 14 points lower on its evaluation than when Iowa rejected its application in 2015. (Stoddard, 7/5)
