Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Indiana Governor Wants To Keep State's Medicaid Expansion
WFYI (Indianapolis Public Radio): Holcomb Wants Medicaid Expansion Continued
Governor Eric Holcomb says he wants to see Indiana’s Medicaid expansion protected as federal lawmakers debate health care reform. Indiana uses Medicaid expansion dollars available through Obamacare to pay for HIP 2.0, its health care program for low-income Hoosiers. The proposed health care reform bill advanced by Congressional Republicans would put that funding in jeopardy in the next few years. Holcomb says he’s been talking to members of Congress and the Trump administration, advocating the need to continue HIP 2.0. (Smith, 3/13)
Fort Wayne (Ind.) Journal Gazette: Holcomb Wants Federal Funds For Medicaid Expansion
HIP 2.0 is the modified expansion program Indiana started offering in February 2015 after receiving a federal waiver. About 420,000 low-income Hoosiers now get health insurance through the program, which has several cost-sharing components -- including an average monthly contribution -- aimed at pushing members to seek preventive care and make good health care choices. This is a key difference from traditional Medicaid, which bears all costs of care. (Kelly, 3/13)
NJ Spotlight: ACA Medicaid Expansion Helped NJ Save Millions In Charity Care
New Jersey has saved hundreds of millions of dollars on hospital support since the federal Affordable Care Act took full effect in 2014, according to a state analysis of charity-care payments that fueled concerns among healthcare leaders about Republican efforts to repeal the landmark law. The state has budgeted $252 million — half state, half federal dollars — for the coming fiscal year, starting in July, to help hospitals cover the cost of treating uninsured patients who they are obligated to help, regardless of their insurance status. That’s down $100 million from the previous year and nearly $400 million less than the $650 million New Jersey committed to these expenses in 2015. (Stainton, 3/13)
New Hampshire Union Leader: Recovery Coach Says Expanded Medicaid Saved Him
For Philip Spagnuolo, expansion of Medicaid in New Hampshire was a lifesaver, helping to rescue him from the potentially fatal effects of addiction. Spagnuolo was on Medicaid from February 2016 until January of this year. In that time, he was able to get counseling, therapy and medical care that allowed him to overcome his substance abuse disorder. Now a licensed recovery coach at Navigating Recovery of the Lakes Region in Laconia, Spagnuolo has become an advocate for recovery and for the New Hampshire Health Protection Program, the Granite State’s own version of expanded Medicaid under Obamacare. (Solomon, 3/13)
KCUR: Senate President Predicts KanCare Expansion Will Pass Despite Federal Uncertainty
Kansas lawmakers appear poised to pass a Medicaid expansion plan despite objections from Gov. Sam Brownback and uncertainty about the future of federal funding. Senate President Susan Wagle, a Wichita Republican, doesn’t hesitate when asked if the expansion bill, which passed the House in late February, will clear the Senate later this month. “I believe the bill passes on the Senate floor,” Wagle says, adding that she believes it will be approved by a wide margin. “It will be close to veto proof … because the (Kansas) health care community has become very vocal,” she says. (McLean, 3/13)
