Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ill. Governor Unveils Plan To Move More Medicaid Enrollees Into Managed Care Programs
Chicago Tribune: Rauner To Revamp Medicaid Program In Hopes Of Saving Money, Improving Care
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday announced plans to revamp the state's system for insuring many of its poorest residents, saying the changes could save taxpayers money and improve health. About 2 million Illinois residents — nearly two-thirds of Illinois residents on Medicaid, a state- and federally funded health insurance program for the poor and disabled — are part of managed care plans. In Medicaid managed care, private insurers administer Medicaid benefits. The state administers benefits in traditional Medicaid plans. Rauner plans to expand Medicare managed care programs to 80 percent of Illinois residents on Medicaid, in every county in the state as well as to children under the care of the Department of Children and Family Services. (Schencker, 2/27)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Medicaid Cuts Would Be Costly To Pennsylvania, Officials Say
State officials are predicting that federal cuts to Pennsylvania’s Medicaid plan, which was expanded under the Affordable Care Act, would cost the state at least $2 billion by 2020. Medicaid covers many elderly Pennsylvanians, children, people with disabilities and those with low income; with the expansion, it now insures more than 2.8 million Pennsylvanians. (Mamula, 2/27)
Kaiser Health News: Indiana’s Claims About Its Medicaid Experiment Don’t All Check Out
Indiana expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in 2015, adding conditions designed to appeal to the state’s conservative leadership. The federal government approved the experiment, called the Healthy Indiana Plan, or HIP 2.0, which is now up for a three-year renewal. But a close reading of the state’s renewal application shows that misleading and inaccurate information is being used to justify extending HIP 2.0. (Harper, 2/28)
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Mayo Earnings Hit By Medicaid, Labor Costs
Mayo Clinic's net income slipped last year as the Rochester-based health care giant spent more on staffing for growth initiatives, and saw more losses on patients with Medicaid coverage. Even so, the overall results being released Monday show "it was a strong year," said Kedrick Adkins Jr., the clinic's chief financial officer. (Snowbeck, 2/27)
