Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Florida Law Requiring Hospitals To Ask About Immigration Status Leads To Big Drop In Medicaid Spending
Politico: Florida Medicaid Spending On Undocumented Immigrants Plummets After New Law
The amount of money that Florida’s Medicaid program spends to provide emergency health care to undocumented migrants has dropped significantly after Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis launched a multi-pronged crackdown on illegal immigration amid his unsuccessful primary bid for president. DeSantis signed a law last year directing hospitals that accept Medicaid to ask patients about their immigration status when they seek treatment. While the law does not force patients to provide hospitals with an answer, immigrant rights groups feared the mandate would scare migrants away from seeking urgent medical attention. The DeSantis administration and other Florida Republicans say any marked decreases in spending are signs his immigration crackdown is working. (Sarkissian, 6/23)
New Hampshire Bulletin: State House Leaders Scramble To Settle Funding Fight Between Sununu And NH Hospitals
Some lawmakers are exploring an 11th hour attempt to settle a showdown between Gov. Chris Sununu and the state’s hospitals over Sununu’s plan to cut their state Medicaid payments by nearly $35 million a year. Senate President Jeb Bradley said earlier this month that Sununu’s plan would take so much Medicaid funding away from hospitals, “the viability of hospitals is at stake.” Steve Ahnen, the president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association, has called Sununu’s plan a “direct threat” to hospitals. (Timmins, 6/21)
KFF Health News: Medicaid For Millions In America Hinges On Deloitte-Run Systems Plagued By Errors
Deloitte, a global consultancy that reported revenue last year of $65 billion, pulls in billions of dollars from states and the federal government for supplying technology it says will modernize Medicaid. The company promotes itself as the industry leader in building sophisticated and efficient systems for states that, among other things, screen who is eligible for Medicaid. However, a KFF Health News investigation of eligibility systems found widespread problems. (Pradhan and Liss, 6/24)
On disability benefits —
The Washington Post: Social Security Ditches Obsolete Jobs Data Used To Deny Disability Claims
For decades, the Social Security Administration has denied thousands of people disability benefits by claiming they could find jobs that have all but vanished from the U.S. economy — occupations like nut sorter, pneumatic tube operator and microfilm processor. On Monday, the agency will eliminate all but a handful of those unskilled jobs from a long-outdated database used to decide who gets benefits and who is denied, ending a practice that advocates have long decried as unfair and inaccurate. (Rein, 6/24)
AP: Wisconsin Judge To Weigh Letting People With Disabilities Vote Electronically From Home In November
A Wisconsin judge on Monday is expected to consider whether to allow people with disabilities to vote electronically from home in the swing state this fall. Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters and four disabled people filed a lawsuit in April demanding disabled people be allowed to cast absentee ballots electronically from home. (Richmond, 6/24)
