Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Idaho Weighs Plan To Improve Coverage For Some Poor Residents
The Associated Press: Public Offers Input On New Plan To Address Medicaid Gap
Idaho's top health officials are collecting input from residents across the state on their latest plan to provide health care to poor residents who do not have medical coverage. The proposal calls for Idaho to apply for two federal waivers that would change how the state's working poor can qualify for health insurance subsidies or Medicaid. Doing so would provide medical coverage to an estimated 38,000 Idahoans and slash premiums by up to 20 percent. (12/12)
New Orleans Times-Picayune: Political Minutiae Mires Louisiana's Medicaid Contracts
Louisiana House Appropriations Committee Chairman Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said he needed more information from governor's office and the private companies that manage 90 percent of Louisiana's Medicaid program before he would consider approving $15.4 billion worth of Medicaid contracts. (O'Donoghue, 12/12)
The CT Mirror: Special Session Over Medicare Savings Plan Stars In Political Theater
Republican legislative leaders want Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to call them into special session just before Christmas to restore funds for the Medicare Savings Program, a popular social services program — that won’t face reductions until after the 2018 legislative session starts in February. ... The program uses Medicaid money to help more than 100,000 low-income people pay medical expenses that Medicare doesn’t cover, such as premiums, deductibles and co-pays. (Phaneuf, 12/12)
