Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hospitals Raise Concerns About GOP Proposal To Limit Federal Medicaid Spending
Politico Pro: Providers Sound Alarm About Capped Medicaid System
Health care providers are warning that Republican attempts to transform Medicaid in a Trump administration from an open-ended entitlement to a program that caps federal spending could threaten benefits and enrollment levels across the country. Republicans in the House and Senate are calling for new limits to the federal government’s investment in Medicaid, and they’re considering two different approaches, both of which are radical breaks with the current funding system. One is to cap federal funds on a per person basis. The second is to distribute funds via block grants, which gives states a lump sum of federal dollars to cover low-income residents, regardless of how many enroll. (Pradhan and Cancryn, 11/28)
NJ.com: What Happens In N.J. If Trump Kills Medicaid Expansion?
If President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican Congress carry out their promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the loss of federal Medicaid funding could mean a loss of health coverage for more than 500,000 New Jersey residents. The consequences for those individuals — as well as for hospitals and the state’s economy — would be devastating, a report by a progressive Trenton think tank warned Monday. (Washburn, 11/28)
Providence Journal: Raimondo Moves To Expand Medicaid Restructuring
Despite President-elect Donald J. Trump’s call to repeal all or part of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, Rhode Island officials are pushing forward with plans to expand its reach. Governor Gina M. Raimondo and Health and Human Services Secretary Elizabeth Roberts on Monday announced that Rhode Island has received approval for nearly $130 million in federal Medicaid matching funds over the next five years to expand its health care overhaul, launched in 2015, under the administration’s program Reinventing Medicaid 2.0. (Arditi, 11/28)
Texas Tribune: Texas Moving Forward With Budget Cuts For Disabled Kids' Therapy Services
More than a year after lawmakers originally ordered it, Texas quietly announced Monday it will enact significant cuts to the money that it pays therapists who treat vulnerable children with disabilities in two weeks. Medicaid reimbursement rates are used to pay for pediatric therapy services provided to disabled babies and toddlers. Carrie Williams, spokeswoman for the state's Health and Human Services Commission, said that Texas will apply cuts on Medicaid rates on Dec. 15 in attempt to achieve savings directed by the Texas Legislature in 2015. (Mejia Lutz and Walters, 11/28)
Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal: NC Legislators Face Full Agenda With Public Health, Medicaid Updates
Two joint legislative oversight committees on health care will receive today an update on how the state’s Medicaid program is performing, along with progress reports on two high-profile behavioral-health initiatives. The morning session covering Health and Human Services will focus on how the state is doing in diverting individuals having a behavioral health crisis from a hospital emergency department to other care settings, and in complying with a federal order to assist eligible adults from nursing home settings into independent housing. The afternoon session covering Medicaid will address the program’s financial and enrollment performances, provide an update on the state’s Medicaid waiver proposal, and discuss how Medicaid reform is affecting individuals with behavioral health needs. (Craver, 11/29)
