Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Indiana's Medicaid Work Requirement Faces New Legal Challenge; N.H.'s Now Disbanded Work Requirement Cost $187,000
Politico Pro: HHS Sued Over Indiana Medicaid Work Rules
Two legal aid groups are suing to block a Medicaid work requirement in Indiana, the latest in a string of lawsuits challenging the Trump administration's overhaul of the coverage program for the poor. Indiana's work requirement was approved in early 2018 and has gradually been rolled out this year. The state initially adopted a conservative version of Obamacare's Medicaid expansion four years ago under then-Gov. Mike Pence. (Pradhan, 9/23)
Concord Monitor: Now-Disbanded Medicaid Work Requirement Costs New Hampshire $187,000
New Hampshire state officials spent over $187,000 this summer attempting to get low-income residents into compliance with the now-defunct Medicaid work requirement, according to calculations released this month. In a Sept. 3 letter to state lawmakers, Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers said that the bulk of that spending – $108,723 – went to an outside agency to call members of the program and get them into compliance. (DeWitt, 9/23)
Miami Herald: Potential Cuts Fuel Fear Among Floridians With Disabilities
Those services are possible only because of a state Medicaid program for impoverished and disabled Floridians, which provides Hahr and other people with disabilities money to get services — such as in-home nursing, physical therapy and transportation — they need. But state disability administrators are developing a plan to restructure the state’s home and community-based waiver program for Hahr and more than 34,000 others like him, because the Legislature says the state’s disabilities agency has spent too much beyond the budget it is given. (Koh, 9/24)
A useful primer for some -
Texas Tribune: Immigrants On Medicaid: What You Need To Know About Trump's New Policy
The new policy, published by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in August and scheduled to take effect Oct. 15, adds health care, food stamps, cash assistance and public housing programs to the list of public benefits that, if used to some extent, could count against immigrants who apply for visas or permanent residency after the changes take effect. It also increases the income requirement for applicants to 250% of the federal poverty level. (Coronado, 9/24)
And in Medicare news -
San Francisco Chronicle: Medicare Double Billed About 411,000 People Who Pay Part B Premiums Directly
Because of a processing error, about 411,000 seniors who pay for Medicare Part B directly through the system’s Easy Pay had their premiums deducted twice from their bank accounts, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Monday. Jade Tippett of Fort Bragg noticed the error on Friday when he looked at his credit union checking account and spotted two withdrawals for $135.50 each. (Pender, 9/23)
