Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Federal Officials Ask 3 States To Continue Pilot Projects For People On Medicaid And Medicare
Modern Healthcare: CMS Wants States To Continue Dual Demos
The CMS is hoping states will continue in a test to better manage benefits and care for low-income and disabled Americans. The agency sent a notice on Jan. 19 to Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Washington to see if officials in those states would extend pilot programs that aim to better coordinate care for people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. All three states launched their efforts in 2013 and they are all on track to end next year. The agency wants to keep them going through Dec. 31, 2019, so it can better evaluate if their efforts are working. It has given officials until March 1st to respond. (Dickson, 2/2)
Atlanta Journal Constitution: Senate Passes Renewal Of Georgia Fee To Help Close Medicaid Gap
Gov. Nathan Deal’s push to renew a fee on Georgia hospitals to help close a more than $900 million gap in Medicaid funding took a step forward Wednesday, when the state Senate passed legislation to extend the fee another three years. Senate Bill 70, sponsored by state Sen. Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, would reauthorize collection of what’s officially known as a hospital provider fee until 2020. It passed on a 50-3 vote, after the body easily defeated an effort to shorten the extension to only one year. (Torres, 2/2)
Georgia Health News: Senate OKs ‘Provider Fee’ To Shore Up Medicaid
The state Senate, as expected, approved the renewal of a hospital “provider fee’’ Thursday that will fill a $900 million hole in the Georgia Medicaid budget. Though the vote was 50-3, the debate beforehand became testy. Democrats called for the state to expand its Medicaid program, as 31 other states have done. Georgia’s Republican leadership has repeatedly rejected that idea, calling it fiscally unsound. (Miller, 2/2)
KCUR (Kansas City, Mo., Public Radio): Federal Officials Evaluating Plan To Fix KanCare Disability Services
Federal officials are evaluating a state plan to fix problems with disability support services for Kansans in Medicaid. State officials submitted the plan Tuesday after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services notified them in December about deficiencies uncovered during audits last year of KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program. A separate letter, sent by CMS Jan. 17, denied the state a requested one-year extension of KanCare based on deficiencies found in the broader KanCare program, including medical services. (Marso, 2/2)
KCUR (Kansas City, Mo., Public Radio): Medicine By Monthly Fee Expanding In Kansas: Is KanCare Next?
[Dr. Damon] Heybrock is part of a growing group of Kansas doctors who accept no insurance. Instead, they charge a monthly membership fee — in Heybrock’s case $60 for an adult — for unlimited office visits, phone calls and some lab tests. They call it direct primary care, or DPC. ... According to the national Direct Primary Care Coalition, several states have tried to incorporate DPC into their Medicaid programs. Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, a plastic surgeon from Overland Park who has had extensive input on KanCare, said federal rules make it difficult. But that could change under Trump, who has said he wants to shift Medicaid to a block grant system that gives states more administrative flexibility. (Marso, 2/2)
Alaska Public Media: ACA Repeal Could Complicate Medicaid Reforms
State health leaders say a federal repeal of the Affordable Care Act could make it difficult to implement reforms to Medicaid. That could cost the state the tens of millions of dollars that lawmakers are counting on. Many of the reforms the Legislature included in the Medicaid law it passed last year depend on parts of the Affordable Care Act. State Health Commissioner Valerie “Nurr’araaluk” Davidson said medical providers have told her they hope to receive federal funding that was included in the law. (Kitchenman, 2/2)
Reuters: Iowa Moves To Cut Medicaid Funding For Planned Parenthood
The Republican-controlled Iowa state senate voted on Thursday to cut Medicaid funding for family planning services to abortion providers including Planned Parenthood. State senators passed the bill 30-20, advancing it to the Republican-controlled House. The vote was along party lines, with one independent voting in favor of the measure. (Mclaughlin, 2/2)
