Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Feds Want Texas To Pay $18.9M Back To Medicaid For Improper School Health Services Bills
Dallas Morning News: Medicaid Overpaid Texas $18.9 Million For School-Based Health Services, Seeks Refund
Texas received $18.9 million from Medicaid for school-based health services that were billed improperly, and the federal government is seeking to get the money back. The School Health and Related Services, or SHARS program, allows Texas school districts to request Medicaid reimbursement for providing medically necessary health services to qualified children, age 20 or younger, who have disabilities. Among other things, the services can include counseling, physical and speech therapy, transportation and nursing. (Rice, 8/16)
Kansas City Star: J.D. Power Ranks KanCare Last In Customer Satisfaction
Kansas’ privatized Medicaid system, KanCare, came in last among 36 states’ managed care Medicaid programs in a customer satisfaction survey conducted by the firm J.D. Power. The firm ranked patient satisfaction on a 1,000-point scale based on how consumers responded to questions about six areas: provider choice, coverage and benefits, customer service, cost, information and communication, and claims processing. (Marso, 8/16)
And in New Hampshire —
Concord Monitor: N.H. Reliance On ‘Voluntary’ Donations To Pay For Expanded Medicaid Questioned Before
The federal government’s warning that New Hampshire must change the way it pays for expanded Medicaid or risk losing funding isn’t the first time the state’s reliance on “voluntary” contributions has been questioned. By law, New Hampshire requires donations from the state’s hospital and insurance associations to make up the difference as federal funds decline. Because of that funding structure – expected to be about $50 million over a two-year period – there’s no way to know which hospitals or insurers pay how much, and according to what formula. (Duffort, 8/16)
New Hampshire Union Leader: Medicaid: Hassan Enlisted Hired Gun As Governor
Then-Gov. Maggie Hassan deployed a prominent New York law firm 15 months ago to convince the Obama administration to drop opposition to how the state would help pay for New Hampshire’s Medicaid expansion, according to documents the New Hampshire Union Leader has obtained. While this got the key federal agency to silence its unrest through the 2016 election, that opposition came roaring back this spring with a new President and program administrator. (Landrigan, 8/17)
