Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Fissures Developing Between White House And Congress On Medicaid Plans
Politico: GOP Split Over Medicaid Imperils Obamacare Plans
Top GOP lawmakers and President Donald Trump are coalescing around a plan to turn Medicaid over to the states as part of their Obamacare replacement. But the push is already driving a wedge between congressional Republicans and could gum up the repeal process altogether. (Everett, Bade and Pradhan, 1/23)
Marketplace: Possible Changes To Medicaid
The Trump administration wants to overhaul more than just the Affordable Care Act — Medicaid is also on its list for reforms. White House officials are signaling their support for turning Medicaid, the health care program for poor and disabled people, into a block grant program with specific spending caps for states. That could mean big cuts to either state budgets, or Medicaid rolls — or both. (Gorenstein, 1/23)
Stat: In Iowa, Financial Pain Follows Trump-Style Medicaid Reforms
When President Donald Trump tapped policy consultant Seema Verma to run Medicaid and Medicare in his administration, he called her part of a health care “dream team.” But the health policy changes she helped design in Iowa have felt more like a nightmare to providers serving poor and disabled residents across the state. Verma has helped several states revamp Medicaid, including Kentucky and Indiana. Here in Iowa, she worked on an aggressive effort to privatize the program, which provides health care to about 600,000 adults and children. (Martin, 1/24)
KCUR: Colyer: State Addressing Federal KanCare Concerns
As Kansas lawmakers move forward with efforts to increase oversight of KanCare, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer says Brownback administration officials are addressing the issues that federal regulators cited in denying a one-year extension of the program last week. Colyer still says he thinks politics played a role in the decision, which came in the final days of Barack Obama’s presidency. But hours after returning from the inauguration of President Donald Trump, he said in a phone interview Saturday that the state will resolve regulators’ concerns with KanCare, which provides health coverage to more than 425,000 Kansans. (Marso, 1/23)
Kansas City Star: Kansas Officials Mount Defense Against Federal Review Of KanCare
Kansas health officials on Monday defended themselves to lawmakers over a blistering federal review of KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program. Susan Mosier, the secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said the analysis made “statements of opinion rather than statements of fact.” The report from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) last week said that KanCare was out of compliance with federal standards. And it emphasized that a lack of oversight and communication issues may put KanCare patients at risk. (Woodall, 1/23)
