Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Florida Sues To Allow It To Kick Kids Off Public Health Insurance
Axios: Florida Challenges Federal Requirement To Keep Kids On Health Insurance
Florida is suing the Biden administration over a new policy limiting when states can remove children from public health insurance programs. The lawsuit challenges the implementation of a law requiring states to let kids remain eligible for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program for 12 straight months before reviewing their status, regardless of life changes that mean they may no longer qualify. (Goldman, 2/5)
Health News Florida: Florida Group Starts Signature Collection As Part Of Medicaid Expansion Effort
A coalition of groups that push for health care equity has begun to gather petition signatures supporting a Florida constitutional amendment to expand Medicaid. Florida Decides Healthcare needs roughly 1 million signatures to get its proposal on the ballot in Florida in 2026. (Zaragovia, 2/5)
Also —
San Francisco Chronicle: Covered California Open Enrollment Deadline Extended
Californians aiming to sign up for health insurance through the state’s Covered California marketplace have a little extra time, with the open enrollment deadline extended until Friday, officials said. Covered California extended the Jan. 31 deadline after seeing “record-breaking enrollment nationally” and high demand in the state for health insurance, officials announced last week. The new deadline to sign up for 2024 coverage is midnight Feb. 9, with coverage effective from Feb. 1. (Flores, 2/5)
Stat: Gene Therapy For Afghan Refugees’ Infant Will Be Fully Covered
After a months-long fight with Texas Medicaid over coverage of a gene therapy, Afghan refugees now have a chance to save their infant son. After initially balking, Texas officials have agreed to pay for the costly treatment, the boy’s family and his doctor told STAT. (Molteni, 2/5)
Forbes: Centene Turns A Profit Thanks To Big Jump In Obamacare Enrollment
Centene reported fourth quarter profits of $45 million as membership and premium revenue grew thanks to a big increase in Obamacare coverage, the health insurer said Tuesday. Centene, which sells an array of government subsidized health insurance including individual commercial insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act known as Obamacare, said total managed care membership increased slightly to 27.47 million, compared to 27.06 million at the end of the fourth quarter of 2022. Centene’s enrollment in individual coverage under the Affordable Care Act, which Centene calls its “commercial marketplace” business nearly doubled to 3.9 million members from 2 million a year ago. (apsen, 2/6)
On housing and internet —
Axios: Medicaid Enrollment Cuts Led To More Evictions, Study Finds
A major purge of Tennessee's Medicaid rolls almost 20 years ago led to a big increase in evictions, according to a new Health Affairs study that may hold lessons for the ongoing "unwinding" of pandemic-era coverage protections. More than 16.4 million Americans have been disenrolled from Medicaid since April, when the end of the COVID-19 emergency meant states were no longer barred from terminating coverage. (Goldman, 2/6)
KFF Health News: Is Housing Health Care? State Medicaid Programs Increasingly Say ‘Yes’
States are plowing billions of dollars into a high-stakes health care experiment that’s exploding around the country: using scarce public health insurance money to provide housing for the poorest and sickest Americans. California is going the biggest, pumping $12 billion into an ambitious Medicaid initiative largely to help homeless patients find housing, pay for it, and avoid eviction. Arizona is allocating $550 million in Medicaid funding primarily to cover six months of rent for homeless people. Oregon is spending more than $1 billion on services such as emergency rental assistance for patients facing homelessness. Even ruby-red Arkansas will dedicate nearly $100 million partly to house its neediest. (Hart, 2/6)
Reuters: US To Stop Accepting New Enrollments For Low-Income Internet Subsidy Program
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday will stop accepting new enrollments for a government broadband internet subsidy program, used by nearly 23 million American households, which is set to run out of money in months. "The enrollment freeze is necessary to slow the depletion of the remaining funding and reduce volatility in the program," FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel wrote Congress last week saying after that the commission will finalize the projected end date of the program absent new funding from lawmakers. (Shepardson, 2/5)
