Different Takes: The Assaults On The ACA Create ‘Risks For Everyone’; Congress Steps Up On CHIP, But Other Issues Still Unresolved

Bloomberg: Another Year Of Rolling Back Obamacare 
The year ahead looks to be dangerous for health-care security in the U.S., as Donald Trump's administration continues to sabotage the law that Congress couldn't repeal. New proposals would let many more healthy Americans drop their Obamacare coverage -- raising costs for the unhealthy and risks for everyone, sick or well. (1/22)

Miami Herald: Government Shutdown Is Over, For Now, But Congress, President Trump, Leave DREAMers In Limbo
The DREAMers and their heart-rending stories have gotten the lion’s share of publicity recently. But so much more was at stake: The short-term budget agreement extends funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program — CHIP — for six years. That’s extremely important. Nationally, CHIP covers almost 9 million children. In Florida alone, almost 375,000 children are enrolled in this program each year, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Still left unresolved is dealing with the epidemic of opioid use across the country and keeping community health centers whole, to name just a few urgent issues. (1/22)

The New York Times: Kentucky’s New Idea For Medicaid Access: Pass Health Literacy Course
If you’re on Medicaid in Kentucky and are kicked off the rolls for failing to meet the state’s new work requirements, Kentucky will be offering a novel way to reactivate your medical coverage: a health or financial literacy course you must pass. The precise content of the courses is not yet worked out but may include instruction on household budgeting, opening a checking account, weight management and chronic disease management, said Kristi Putnam, a manager with Kentucky Health, the new state Medicaid program that includes work requirements. She said quizzes would be included that people must pass to complete the course. (Austin Frakt, 1/22)

Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal: Bevin’s Medicaid Work Requirement Is A Huge Win For GOP And Fiscal Conservatives
On Jan. 12, the federal government finally approved Kentucky’s long-awaited (section) 1115 Medicaid waiver, allowing the state to add a work requirement for able-bodied adults, without dependents, who were part of Medicaid expansion. As a unified Republican government on the federal level continues its effort to reverse the left-leaning policies of the Obama administration, and to continue chipping away at the 20th century’s vast government expansions, while Kentucky seeks to wrestle with the nation's worst-funded and poorly structured pension system, the Medicaid waiver represents a landmark moment for conservative fiscal policy. It is impossible to overstate what an important achievement it is for Bevin, Kentucky and the dozens of states that will seek to replicate the policy shift. (Jordan Harris, 1/23)

The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot: Outlook Brightens For Medicaid Expansion
A recent survey commissioned by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association, and conducted by a Republican polling firm, found that “four out of five Virginia voters (83 percent) support a plan to help enroll the uninsured.” Support varied little by region, and mirrors what Virginia saw at the polls in November. That election saw Democratic challengers, campaigning on the issue, topple a number of incumbent Republicans to capture seats in the House. ... In November, the influential Senate Finance Committee listened as staff recommended a “Medicaid redesign initiative” that would use waiver options from Washington to create a Virginia-specific program. It might prove to be a promising vehicle for accommodate expectations and concerns from both sides of the aisle. The co-chairman of that committee, Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. “Tommy” Norment Jr., a James City County Republican, told the Daily Press last week, “I do think we’ll see something this year for health care for lower-income Virginians.” (1/22)

Des Moines Register: Let's Put Iowans Back In Control Of Medicaid
Since April 2016, when Iowa Medicaid was turned over to out-of-state companies, constituents have complained about the obstacles they face getting care and services. Hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers from our largest communities to Iowa’s small towns and rural areas agree that the privatized system is not working. They are not being properly reimbursed for the care they provide. They face red tape and bureaucratic nightmares with delays and denials of payment ruining their budgets. Many are in financial jeopardy, and some have even been forced to scale back the services they provide or close their doors altogether. The state keeps giving private, out-of-state companies more of your tax dollars to run Medicaid despite all the evidence that this system is failing. (Democratic State Sen. Nate Boulton, 1/22)