Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Federal Officials Criticize Kansas Medicaid Program, Deny Request For Extension
Kansas City Star: Criticizing Kansas, Feds Deny Extension Of KanCare Privatized Medicaid Program
Federal officials have rejected Kansas’ request to extend its privatized Medicaid program, KanCare, saying it has failed to meet federal standards and risked the health and safety of enrollees. Kansas is “substantively out of compliance with Federal statutes and regulations, as well as its Medicaid State Plan” based on a review by federal investigators in October, according to a letter sent to the state Jan. 13 from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The state’s failure to ensure effective oversight of the program put the lives of enrollees at risk and made it difficult for them to navigate their benefits, the investigators found. They cited concerns about the program’s transparency and effectiveness. (Lowry and Woodall, 1/19)
Topeka (Kan.) Capital Journal: Lawmakers Furious, Feel ‘Blindsided’ By Brownback Administration Over Harsh KanCare Report
The disclosure of a highly critical federal review of Kansas’ Medicaid program provoked bipartisan fury among lawmakers on Thursday, who said they were blindsided and not informed of the troubling findings. ... Republicans and Democrats voiced anger with Brownback’s administration over two letters from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services sent to the state this month that detail significant problems with KanCare, the privatized system that covers more than 400,000 individuals, substantiated during an October review. Lawmakers said they hadn’t been informed of either communication. (Shorman, 1/19)
KCUR: Lawmakers Seek Answers After KanCare Extension Denial
Kansas legislators are seeking answers from the Brownback administration after federal officials denied a one-year extension of the state’s Medicaid program known as KanCare. The denial letter, dated Jan. 17, outlines a series of concerns about the state’s privatization of Medicaid under three insurance companies. Federal officials cited poor coordination between the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services and said neither state agency was doing enough to hold the three insurance companies known as managed care organizations, or MCOs, accountable to Medicaid rules. (Marso, 1/19)
