Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Kansas Committee Expected To Take First Vote On Medicaid Expansion Today
KCUR (Kansas City, Mo., Public Radio): Close Vote Expected On KanCare Expansion Bill
Kansas lawmakers are getting ready to do something they have never done before: vote on a Medicaid expansion bill. For the past three years, conservative Republicans who controlled the Legislature refused to allow a vote on the issue. Things are different this session due to the ouster of several conservative incumbents by moderate Republican and Democratic challengers. (McLean, 2/16)
Toledo Blade: After Expansion, Medicaid Attracts More Older Men
Those enrolled in Ohio’s expanded Medicaid program in partnership with the federal Affordable Care Act turned out to be older than expected. Barbara Sears, Gov. John Kasich’s Medicaid director and former state representative from Monclova Township, said Thursday she was a little surprised to see how the population skewed older. “But when we knew we weren’t getting the younger folks into the [federal Obamacare private insurance] marketplace, we knew they probably weren’t getting into [the Medicaid expansion],” she said after speaking to the legislative Joint Medicaid Oversight Committee. (Provance, 2/16)
Modern Healthcare: Alabama Could Lose Medicaid Funding For Allegedly Rejecting Eligible Enrollees
The CMS may cut Alabama's Medicaid funding after learning state officials reject people eligible for Medicaid coverage if they are found to have engaged in fraud or abuse but were never convicted of any criminal act. The CMS said Alabama officials also had a practice of recouping funds from these individuals. Alabama has said it is simply trying to take action against those who lie on their applications about having been previously accused of criminal activity. (Dickson, 2/16)
California Healthline: Some Immigrants, Fearful Of Political Climate, Shy Away From Medi-Cal
Some foreign-born Californians are canceling their Medi-Cal coverage or declining to enroll in the first place, citing fears of a Trump administration crackdown on immigrants. Among those dropping coverage are people in the country legally but concerned about jeopardizing family members who lack permanent legal status, according to government officials, immigration attorneys and health care advocates. (Bazar, 2/16)
