Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
States Scrambling To Prep For Biggest Medicaid Change Since ACA: Work Requirements
Modern Healthcare: CMS Medicaid Work Requirements Rule Forces States To Rethink Plans
The race is on for states to iron out their Medicaid work requirement plans and tie up loose ends for providers, insurers and beneficiaries. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a long-awaited regulation this month laying out federal standards for work requirements. But states facing down a Jan. 1, 2027, deadline to have the system running will have to quickly rethink their strategies because CMS caught them by surprise on key issues. States, health insurance companies, providers, enrollees and other stakeholders have less than six months to implement the biggest change to Medicaid since the Affordable Care Act of 2010 expansion. For policies this complex, that’s no time at all. (Early, 6/16)
In other Medicaid and Medicare news —
Central Florida Public Media: Florida Reports Sharp Drop In Children's Medicaid Enrollment As KidCare Court Case Nears
Florida’s Medicaid shows the country's fourth largest decline since 2025, and advocates say that means more uninsured children. Meantime, the state prepares for a lawsuit over its stalled KidCare expansion. (Pedersen, 6/17)
The CT Mirror: About 110,000 Poor CT Adults Could Lose Medicaid Coverage
With about 110,000 poor adults at risk of losing Medicaid coverage under new federal work rules this January, officials are scrambling to avert a swell in uninsured patients forced to seek care through hospital emergency departments. (Phaneuf and Golvala, 6/17)
Cardinal News: Plans For New Hospice In Southwest Virginia Halted By Federal Medicare Freeze
Shanna Western still remembers seeing her grandfather waving both hands in unison through a hospital window. He called it his “twin wave,” a greeting and a goodbye to Western and her twin sister. In the 1980s, hospitals generally discouraged children from visiting patients in the hospital rooms. Her grandfather died that night. Western never got the chance to say goodbye in person. (Schabacker, 6/17)
Fierce Healthcare: MedPAC Offers A Look At Enrollment Hiccups In Medicare
Beneficiaries face a series of complex decisions in enrolling in Medicare coverage, and a key federal panel outlines some of the pain points. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released its June report to Congress on Monday, where it notes that when an individual becomes Medicare eligible, they have to immediately make a series of decisions about coverage that may be confusing. (Minemyer and Muoio, 6/16)
The Daily Southtown: Scammers Target Medicare Cards, Durable Medical Equipment Needs
Scammers have gotten crafty about tricking people out of their money, and often they use purported Medicare concerns as a way into the wallets of older people. (Neumann, 6/16)
Pushback on ACA regulation —
KFF Health News: Democrats Seek To Spotlight Rising Health Costs By Forcing Vote On Trump Regulation
In a move that mixes pure politics with weedy congressional procedures, Senate Democrats are seeking to force a vote to overturn a Trump administration rule that they say will make it harder to enroll in Affordable Care Act health plans and sharply raise out-of-pocket costs for those who do. The measure is unlikely to pass in the Republican-controlled Congress, but Democrats could use the vote against their opponents on the campaign trail. When the ACA rule was released in May, the Trump administration touted it as a means to combat enrollment fraud, lower premiums for some people, and offer a wider range of insurance plans, including ones with no set network of doctors or hospitals. (Appleby, 6/17)
