Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Democrats See Medicaid Expansion As A Winning Issue
The Wall Street Journal: Resistance To Medicaid Expansion Sets Up 2022 Fight In Holdout States
Democrats look to Medicaid expansion fights to juice 2022 races in battleground states like Wisconsin and Florida, and even red ones like Missouri. They have been boosted by several state ballot referendums showing popular support for the expansions, and a carrot-and-stick approach from the Biden administration aided by American Rescue Plan funds. Resistant Republicans are tying the expansions to other Democratic policies, like expanded unemployment benefits, that they say are hampering the economic recovery from the pandemic. (Rubin, 5/28)
AP: Governor Lets Medicaid Bill Become Law Without Signature
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said Thursday he has let a bill putting some restrictions on his plan to privatize Medicaid become law without his signature. Stitt has pushed forward with a plan to outsource management of the state’s Medicaid system to for-profit insurance companies, maintaining that that approach will maximize health care quality while cutting costs. But much of the Republican-controlled Legislature opposes that proposal. The bill they passed imposes some restrictions on the privatization proposal, dubbed managed care. (5/27)
Health News Florida: Florida Hits Managed Care Plans For Damages
Florida relies on managed-care companies to provide Medicaid coverage to 3.7 million low-income and elderly residents, but a review of data assembled by regulators shows that the companies have been hit with dozens of complaints that have resulted in the state requesting millions of dollars in payments. In the first three months of 2021, Florida Medicaid officials assessed more than $1 million in liquidated damages against managed-care plans, according to Agency for Health Care Administration data updated last week. (Sexton, 5/27)
