Kansas Medicaid Proposal To Designate Preferred Providers Brings Complaints
A proposal by state officials to let the private insurance companies that manage the Medicaid program designate preferred providers and pay them more was questioned by consumers and providers at a public hearing. Also, the recent decision on Medicaid services by Arizona's high court did not resolve a key issue.
Kansas Health Institute:
Proposed KanCare Network Changes Draw Skepticism
A proposal to reimburse some KanCare providers at a higher level based on patient outcomes drew skepticism from a crowd of hundreds who gathered Tuesday afternoon in a Topeka hotel ballroom. Tuesday’s public meeting was the first in a series that state officials are hosting as they prepare to renew their federal application for KanCare, the state’s $3 billion managed care program that privatized all Medicaid services under three insurance companies in 2013. (Marso, 5/24)
Arizona Republic:
Court: Arizona Hospitals Can Keep Funds Gathered From Medicaid-Insured Patient Liens
Arizona hospitals scored a partial victory this week with an Arizona Supreme Court decision that allows health facilities to keep years of payments from Medicaid-insured patients who agreed to share portions of their injury settlements to pay medical bills. However, the state's high court did not address a separate legal issue: whether the mechanism used by hospitals to collect these payments — filing medical liens against patients — is an allowable practice under Medicaid's rules. (Alltucker, 5/24)