Florida Medicaid Expansion Fracas Continues

Orlando Sentinel: Leaders Stuck On Health Care Fight
Lawmakers made no progress Monday in settling the war over health-care funding, as Friday's deadline for the end of the regular session loomed. The latest salvo in the battle came from Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O'Lakes, who claimed that expanding Medicaid would actually kick thousands of Floridians off federal health insurance exchanges. "Six hundred nine thousand are the people … currently getting private insurance through the exchange,'' he said, citing figures provided by state health officials. "So those good people get kicked off so that we can get 607,000 Medicaid, that's my point. That's not a good deal." (Rohrer, 4/27)

Orlando Sentinel: Corcoran Defends Anti-Medicaid Expansion Position In Barrage Of Tweets
Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, the fiercest opponent of Medicaid expansion in the House and the next in line to become House Speaker in 2016, defended his position in a series of tweets over the weekend. The burst of 140-character messages slammed hospitals as profit-hungry, blasted Medicaid as a broken system and asserted he was the one standing up for the “working poor” by denying them sub-par health care through Medicaid. “The entire fight is about paying hospitals more money. It has nothing to do with coverage or health care outcomes for the poor.” “Hospitals: ‘show me the money’ Hospitals on poor people: ‘let them eat Medicaid’" (Rohrer, 4/27)

Health News Florida: Gardiner: Send Full FHIX Plan To Feds
Florida Medicaid’s request that federal officials send the state $2.2 billion dollars to keep the Low Income Pool subsidies flowing to hospitals won’t work because a vital part is missing, Florida Senate President Andy Gardiner says. The missing link, he said, is the Florida Health Insurance Affordability Exchange, known as the FHIX. It is the Senate’s plan to cover up to 1 million of Florida’s low-income uninsured residents by accepting billions of dollars in Medicaid expansion money under the Affordable Care Act. (Gentry, 4/27)

Columbus Dispatch: Ohio House Wants To Take Medicaid Authority From Governor
Despite conservative grumblings, House Republicans last week supported the continuation of Gov. John Kasich’s Medicaid expansion. But it could be the last time the administration sets eligibility guidelines for the tax-funded health-insurance program. Before approving the House version of the state budget last week, Republican leaders added a provision giving the General Assembly authority to decide who qualifies for Medicaid, taking it away from the governor. (Candisky, 4/27)

Alaska News Miner: Walker Calls Legislature Back To Work
After 98 days in the regular session, the Legislature will be back at work this morning by order of Gov. Bill Walker. The special session proclamation delivered moments after the Senate gaveled out includes some of the governor’s top priorities that were left unfinished by the Legislature when it adjourned Monday night. That includes Medicaid expansion, a sexual abuse prevention program for K-12 students known as Erin’s Law and funding for the unfunded budget bills the Legislature passed Monday evening. (Buxton, 4/28)

The Associated Press: Hospitals Offer To Share In Cost Of La. Medicaid Expansion
As Louisiana struggles with budget troubles, private hospitals are offering lawmakers a way to draw down more federal health care dollars for patient care, but only if the money is used to expand coverage through the Medicaid program. Legislation filed by House leaders would let the state tap into a voter-backed plan that allows hospitals to pool their dollars and use that money to attract new federal Medicaid money to compensate them for their care for the poor. (DeSlatte, 4/27)

The Associated Press: State To Extend Get Covered Illinois PR Contract By 2 Months
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration is negotiating a two-month contract extension with the public relations firm that's handled state promotion of insurance coverage under President Barack Obama's health care law. A $25.6 million contract with St. Louis-based FleishmanHillard to promote Get Covered Illinois expires Thursday. (4/28)