GOP’s Medicaid Plans Could Bring Fundamental Changes In Who Is Eligible And What’s Covered
Prescription drugmakers are raising concerns that revamping the Medicaid program will leave some patients unable to get expensive treatments. Meanwhile, patient advocates point out that under the current system Medicaid can expand during economic downturns to help people without work. News outlets also report on a new study about Medicaid coverage of gunshot injuries and developments in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Kansas and Connecticut.
Stat:
Medicaid May Struggle To Afford Treatments Under GOP Plans
Under the GOP’s vision for overhauling Medicaid, the program could struggle to afford expensive breakthrough treatments, cutting off its recipients from the latest medical innovations, warn policy experts and patient advocates. Republican plans to institute some kind of Medicaid spending cap would mark a fundamental change in the nature of the program. Right now, the federal government (with mandatory matching funds from the states, which actually administer Medicaid) pays whatever costs recipients incur for care that is covered by the program. (Scott, 1/30)
McClatchy:
GOP Plans For Medicaid Could Cut Federal Funding At States’ Peril
When millions of Americans lost their jobs and their health insurance in the Great Recession, Medicaid opened its arms, adding 6.7 million members from December 2008 to December 2010. Medicaid’s open-ended federal funding helped pay for that 15 percent growth, ensuring coverage for all eligible applicants. But under proposals from congressional Republicans, Medicaid beneficiaries would no longer automatically get that federal funding when enrollment spikes. (Pugh, 1/27)
Earlier KHN coverage: Everything You Need To Know About Block Grants — The Heart Of GOP’s Medicaid Plans (Luthra, 1/24)
Miami Herald:
Who Pays For Gun Violence Depends On State's Medicaid Coverage, Study Finds
Who pays for the hospital costs of gun violence can depend on the state where the victim is hospitalized, according to a study published Friday by the nonprofit Urban Institute, a social policy think tank. The study compared changes in coverage for the hospital costs of gun violence in six states — Arizona, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, North Carolina and Wisconsin — from 2010 to 2014. In states that offer Medicaid coverage for single adults, who are among the most likely group to be hospitalized for gun violence, a larger share of the costs were paid by the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled persons, according to the study. (Chang, 1/27)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Advocates Concerned About Proposals To Block Grant Medicaid
The threat to the health care safety net for the vulnerable comes not just from the planned rollback of the Affordable Care Act, advocates say, but from proposed changes to Medicaid. Medicaid is one of the largest programs providing health insurance for children, the poor, the elderly and those with disabilities. It’s a lifeline for people like Trina Alford of Aliquippa, who cares for her 25-year-old daughter, Amary Cannon, who has cerebral palsy. Medicaid pays for bills for critical assistance, such as the aides who assist her daughter with daily living skills like eating, dressing and getting into her wheelchair. (Kate Giammarise, 1/30)
Wisconsin State Journal:
Changes To Wisconsin's Medicaid Program Could Be Wide-Reaching
Low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities on Wisconsin’s $9 billion Medicaid program could see more premiums, co-payments, eligibility requirements and efforts to reduce costs if President Donald Trump and Congress follow through on a pledge to give states more flexibility to manage the state-federal health program for the poor. Changes to Medicaid could be included in Gov. Scott Walker’s 2017-19 budget proposal to be released Feb. 8, though the state Legislature might not take up reform until late this year or early next year. (Wahlberg, 1/29)
KCUR (Kansas City, Mo., Public Radio):
Bill Would Allow Medicaid Funding For Mental Health ‘Clubhouse’ Programs
Some Kansas lawmakers hope allowing community-based rehabilitation programs to bill Medicaid for their services will help more people with mental illnesses find work. Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican and chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, introduced a bill earlier this month that would allow the psychosocial rehabilitation programs known as “clubhouses” to claim reimbursement from Medicaid as allowed by federal law. Some states already allow clubhouses to receive Medicaid funds. Hawkins said officials with Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration told him last year that they would make changes to allow Medicaid reimbursement for clubhouses. They didn’t do that, he said, so he introduced a bill to advance the issue. (Wingerter, 1/27)
The CT Mirror:
Home Health Agencies Seek Delay For Electronic System
Home care agency leaders have a lot of complaints about a new electronic system the state’s Medicaid program requires them to use. They say the new system has delayed payments, required them to hire staff to fix billing issues manually, and has led some agencies to consider phasing out service to Medicaid clients altogether. They say the state owes home care agencies more than $1 million. They want the state to delay plans to require more agencies to use the new system beginning Feb. 1. (Levin Becker, 1/30)
