Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Iowa Democrats Urge Federal Government To Halt State's Medicaid Privatization
The Des Moines Register: Democrats Ask Feds To Block Medicaid Privatization
Two leading Democratic legislators are asking federal administrators to block Gov. Terry Branstad’s plan to turn the state’s Medicaid program over to private companies. Sens. Amanda Ragan and Liz Mathis contend that Branstad is trying to make the shift too quickly and that he has not shown how it will save money and help poor Iowans. (Leys, 9/18)
The Des Moines Register: Serious Service Errors Plague Medicaid Companies
The corporations poised to take over management of Iowa’s Medicaid program have each been held accountable in other states for serious service and administrative errors, including some that wrongly delayed or denied medical services to poor residents, a Des Moines Register investigation shows. Yet a review committee that scored the corporations' bids gave the highest scores — and a piece of the annual $4.2 billion in contracts — to some of the companies with the most egregious problems. (Clayworth, 9/20)
Elsewhere, Connecticut's emergency budget cuts will hit Medicaid and Texas parents ask the state to maintain therapy services for their disabled children. Also in Texas, UnitedHealthcare helps fund a housing program to reduce health care costs -
The Connecticut Mirror: Market Jitters Prompt Malloy To Make $103M In Emergency Cuts
Responding to a weak stock market, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy ordered $103 million in emergency cuts Friday, including a major hit in Medicaid payments that ultimately will cost hospitals about $190 million in state and federal funds. (Phaneuf and Pazniokas, 9/18)
The Texas Tribune: Parents of Disabled Children Ask Texas Not to Cut Services
Thousands of children with disabilities would be harmed by impending state budget cuts to therapy services, several dozen parents told state health officials on Friday. (Walters, 9/18)
The Texas Tribune: To Reduce Health Costs, Insurer Spends On Housing
By law, housing costs are not covered by the state's Medicaid program, the insurer of last resort, a divisive issue in the health care community. That means insurance companies can't count them as health care costs when they report their expenditures to the state. But that hasn't stopped UnitedHealthcare, one such insurer, from contracting with local homeless coalitions in Houston and Austin to track down the health plan’s members who don’t have a stable place to live. UnitedHealthcare says that will allow the insurer to work with those members to find subsidized housing and help coordinate their health care — and in some cases, pay for “barrier busters” to help them move into apartments or buy necessities like furniture. (Walters, 9/21)
