Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
House Repeal Plan Would Cut $43B From Medicaid Coverage Of Kids, Analysis Finds
The Hill: Study: House ObamaCare Repeal Bill Cuts $43B In Medicaid Funds For Children
The House GOP’s ObamaCare replacement bill would result in a cut of $43 billion over 10 years in funding for Medicaid coverage of children, according to a new study. The study from the consulting firm Avalere finds that the cuts to coverage for non-disabled children would come as a result of a new cap on Medicaid payments that the bill would impose, known as a per capita cap. (Sullivan, 5/18)
Miami Herald: Medicaid Spending Caps In Republican Proposal Would Cut Coverage For Florida Children
Low-income children in Florida gained Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act despite the state’s refusal to expand eligibility for the public health insurance program, according to a study published Wednesday by the non-partisan Urban Institute, a health policy think tank. But those gains may end if the American Health Care Act — the Republican-sponsored bill to repeal and replace the health law known as Obamacare — creates spending caps for Medicaid, according to the consulting firm Avalere Health in a separate report this week. (Chang, 5/18)
Politico Pro: GOP Idea For Phasing Out Medicaid Expansion Could Backfire
Senate GOP moderates are trying to extend the life of Obamacare's Medicaid expansion in the chamber's repeal bill. But their latest idea is still likely to inflict budgetary pain and major coverage losses in a number of states. (Pradhan, 5/18)
And in Medicaid news from the states —
The Associated Press: Medicaid Recipients Say They Need Health Care To Work
Medicaid recipients in Maine told state regulators Wednesday they shouldn't be forced to work to continue getting their health care benefits as the Republican governor has proposed. The health care bill recently approved by U.S. House Republicans would let states require certain Medicaid enrollees to work — an unprecedented change to the half-century-old health care program for low-income people run by states. The Senate is considering the bill. (Villaneuve, 5/17)
Texas Tribune: Texas Senate Budget Writers Approve Bill To Plug Funding Holes From 2015
Texas Senate budget writers on Thursday approved a supplemental budget to pay for leftover expenses that aren’t covered in the state's current two-year budget, mostly for health and human services programs. The Senate Finance Committee unanimously voted to spend about $800 million in state funds — which comes with a matching $1.6 billion from the federal government — to cover a shortfall in Medicaid, the public health insurance program for the poor and disabled. (Walters, 5/18)
California Healthline: California To Pay About $1.3 Billion For Medicaid Expansion In First Year Of State Contributions
California will contribute about $1.3 billion to its Medi-Cal expansion this year, a new expenditure that will further strain an already burdened health care budget. This year marks the first time states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act will have to pitch in to help fund their expansion of the program. Their share of the overall price tag compared with federal contributions is small — 5 percent of the cost to cover newly eligible enrollees — but that still equates to real money in the Golden State. (Bazar, 5/18)
KCUR: Remaining 'Medicaid 23' Defendants Receive Probation For Missouri Capitol Protest
Six clergymen who were found guilty of trespassing in the Missouri Senate gallery after they protested Missouri’s failure to expand Medicaid were sentenced today to one year of unsupervised probation. The six, including well-known Kansas City clergymen Sam Mann, Wallace Hartzfield Sr. and Vernon P. Howard Jr., were part of the so-called Medicaid 23, who were charged with trespassing and obstructing government operations after leading a group of about 300 protestors in the Senate gallery three years ago. The 23, some of them septuagenarians, urged lawmakers to expand Medicaid benefits to 300,000 low-income Missourians. (Margolies, 5/18)
