Fla. Speaker Says Federal Funds Won’t End Medicaid Crisis; Alaska Lawmakers Wrestling With Issue
Florida Speaker Steve Crisafulli says the pressure that created the state's budget impasse is not over. In Alaska, the legislature is not making inroads in the controversy over Medicaid expansion. Other reports look at the issue in North Carolina and Kansas.
Tampa Bay Times:
Florida Speaker Crisafulli: Federal Money 'Should Not Be Tied To' Medicaid Expansion Debate
House Speaker Steve Crisafulli said in a statement Friday that the announcement that Florida could see up to $1 billion in federal LIP money would "greatly" help the Legislature finalize a budget during the special session set to begin June 1. However, Crisafulli said the federal money does not completely relieve the pressure on budget talks. (Wilson, 5/22)
Alaska Dispatch News:
Legislative Inaction Draws Public's Ire
Alaskans unleashed a month's worth of pent-up opinions on their state legislators Friday, giving them an earful about what they think has happened since the last time a legislative committee heard public testimony. “Shame on this legislative body,” said George Pierce of Kasilof. ... The Legislature is now in its second special session after adjourning the first, which had been called by the governor. The main business of lawmakers has been to pass a funded budget, which they failed to do in their regular session even when they went beyond their 90-day limit. The Legislature has also declined to consider Medicaid expansion or Erin’s Law, an effort geared toward preventing sexual abuse of children. (Forgey, 5/22)
North Carolina Health News:
Hospital Execs Make Their Case To NC Lawmakers
North Carolina hospital executives returned to the General Assembly Tuesday to walk the halls and promote their plan for reforming Medicaid. (Hoban, 5/22)
The Kansas Health Institute News Service:
Kansas Bill Would Create Opening For Vote On Medicaid Expansion
A Senate committee on Thursday learned that a bill proposing that the state collect a 3.5 percent fee on health insurance policies sold to Kansans on the federal government’s online marketplace could be used to force a vote on Medicaid expansion. (Ranney, 5/22)
Some news outlets also examine other state Medicaid issues -
The Boston Globe:
Amendment Incites Medicaid Fight
A proposal aimed at promoting new ways to pay for the health care of low-income patients has spurred a fierce political fight between insurers, consumer advocates, and one of the state’s largest hospital systems. (Dayal McCluskey, 5/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Medi-Cal Director Talks Shortages And Modernization
Since California's health insurance program for the poor was expanded under the Affordable Care Act last year, enrollment has exploded, with more than 3.5 million people signing up for the first time. Almost 1 in 3 Californians — a total of 12.2 million people — now receive coverage through Medi-Cal. But the sudden growth has raised questions about how state officials will serve millions of new beneficiaries and continue paying for the program, which currently costs the state $18 billion a year. There are also other big changes afoot as Medi-Cal switches patients into managed care — a system in which plans coordinate patients' care to keep costs down — and tries to move beyond its reputation as a health program of last resort. (Karlamangla, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
Budget Panel OKs Seeking To Raise Medicaid Premiums For Some
Low-income childless adults on Wisconsin's BadgerCare Plus Medicaid program may have to pay higher premiums if they engage in risky behavior. The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee approved Gov. Scott Walker's proposal that could lead to the change as part of a wide-ranging Medicaid motion Thursday. (5/22)
Providence Journal:
R.I.Home-Care Program Predicts Medicaid Cost Savings Exceeding $2.7M
[W]ith Governor Raimondo pushing her cost-cutting Reinventing Medicaid initiative, Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island is eagerly touting what it says is the early success of a program begun just five months ago to address Medicaid subscribers with frequent and hefty medical bills. In January, the insurer, aware that 7 percent of the Medicaid enrollees in the state account for two-thirds of spending, identified 450 of its "frequent utilizers" using advanced data and analytics. It then formed a couple of caregiver teams to visit patients at their homes with the aim of reducing their otherwise frequent — and costly — visits to the hospital.
The Health@Home program has been so successful that already Neighborhood is predicting savings of at least $2.7 million in its first year. (Salit, 5/26)
The Associated Press:
Court: Nebraska Wrongly Ended Girl's Home Care Benefits
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services was wrong to end Medicaid benefits that had helped a woman care for her profoundly disabled daughter at home for more than a decade, the Nebraska Supreme Court ruled Friday, in a case that could affect how the department determines the eligibility of other children with long-term care needs. (Beck, 5/22)