Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Judge Tells Maine It Must Implement Voter-Approved Medicaid Expansion That Governor Has Been Stonewalling
The New York Times: Maine Voted To Expand Medicaid. Judge Orders The State To Get Moving.
Seven months after Maine voters approved a ballot measure to expand Medicaid to tens of thousands of additional residents, a state judge on Monday ordered Gov. Paul LePage’s administration to stop stonewalling and move ahead with the plan. It was the second victory in a week for Medicaid expansion, which became possible under the Affordable Care Act. Lawmakers in Virginia voted last week to open the program to an additional 400,000 residents. Advocates in Utah have succeeded in getting a question on the November ballot about expanding Medicaid, and similar efforts are underway in Idaho and Nebraska. (Goodnough, 6/4)
The Hill: Judge Orders Maine To Implement Voter-Approved Medicaid Expansion
Maine voters approved expansion in November through a citizen-led ballot measure, but LePage has fought back at every turn. He said he wouldn't implement expansion unless state legislators found a way to pay for it without raising taxes. But expansion supporters argued the governor's estimate was too high. His administration missed the April 3 deadline to send a plan to the federal government, prompting lawsuits from the Maine Equal Justice Partners and Consumers for Affordable Health Care. (Hellmann, 6/4)
Modern Healthcare: Judge Orders Maine To Implement Voter-Approved Medicaid Expansion
The LePage administration is expected to ask Murphy to stay her order pending an appeal to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. LePage and his administration had argued they can't act until the state Legislature passes an appropriation to fund the expansion. But the judge held that the law overwhelmingly passed by Maine voters last November is clear and unambiguous. She found the statute clearly required the state plan amendment to be submitted to the CMS by April 3 and rules to implement the expansion be adopted by July 3. (Meyer, 6/4)
Bangor Daily News: Judge Orders LePage To Submit Plan For Medicaid Expansion
Lawyers for the state argued that LePage couldn’t implement a law that hasn’t been funded by the Legislature. While startup funding has been a priority for legislative Democrats, it is one of many issues held up in a partisan State House feud over a larger spending package. Advocates cited the state’s $140 million surplus. One has said that the governor’s roadblocks were no more than “excuses.” Murphy ruled that she was “not persuaded that the executive branch is excused from clear statutory obligations by the legislature’s failure to follow through with legislative obligations — as defined by the executive branch.” (Shepherd, 6/4)
In other Medicaid news —
The Washington Post: Trump Administration Inaugurates Medicaid Scorecard For State Programs
The Trump administration is embarking on a basic change to Medicaid that for the first time evaluates states based on the health of millions of Americans and the services they use through the vast public insurance program for the poor. Seema Verma, administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, announced on Monday an initial version of a “scorecard” that compiles and publicizes data from states for both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a companion for youngsters in working-class families. (Goldstein, 6/4)
The Washington Post: How Virginia Came To Embrace Medicaid Expansion After Four Years Of Refusal
Virginia’s vote to expand Medicaid last week was a striking turnaround for a Republican-controlled legislature that had fought expansion for four straight years. Although November’s election added Democrats to the House of Delegates, that alone doesn’t explain the shift. So many Republicans swung over to support Medicaid expansion that — mathematically, anyway — it could have been done even without the new bloc of Democrats. (Schneider and Vozzella, 6/4)
The Associated Press: About 2 Dozen Arrested At North, South Carolina Legislatures
Nearly two dozen demonstrators were arrested Monday at legislatures in North Carolina and South Carolina as part of a national movement highlighting what organizers call injustices to the poor. An official with the General Assembly Police in North Carolina says 13 people were led away in zip ties from outside the offices of House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger. Those arrested were charged with second-degree trespassing. ... Nearly two dozen people participated in the protest, calling for a "moral revival" of the health care system and an immediate expansion of Medicaid. Following the "lie-in," about a dozen demonstrators blocked U.S. Highway 1 in front of the capitol and were arrested by Columbia police. Those arrested were holding two signs, "Death Runs the Statehouse" and "Our Blood Your Hands!" (6/4)
