Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Kansas Mental Health Advocates Seek To Change Medicaid Rules For Inmates
KCUR: Advocates Push Kansas Bill To Suspend, Not Terminate, Medicaid During Incarceration
When Kansans on Medicaid are incarcerated or treated at residential mental health facilities, their Medicaid benefits are terminated. Mental health advocates hope to change that during the upcoming legislative session by pushing for a bill that would instead suspend those benefits. After patients or inmates are dropped from Medicaid, it can take weeks or months to reinstate health coverage — a risk for people who need continuous care for mental health conditions. While people who are incarcerated generally are not eligible for Medicaid, terminating the coverage also can cost the institutions. A lack of consistent care can worsen severe mental health conditions, making people more likely to end up back in the prison or facility they left. (Fox, 12/28)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Gives Mississippi Unprecedented 10-Year Medicaid Waiver
Mississippi has received the first-ever 10-year extension of a Medicaid Section 1115 demonstration waiver, allowing the state to continue providing family planning services for people with income of up to 194% of the federal poverty level. The CMS said the 10-year extension is part of the agency's effort to give states greater flexibility in running their Medicaid programs, without having to ask the government for frequent approvals. Up to now, the agency typically granted Section 1115 waivers, which are supposed to be budget-neutral for the federal government, for five-year periods. (Meyer, 12/28)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Will N.H. Continue Its Medicaid Expansion Program?
The question of whether to continue New Hampshire’s Medicaid expansion program is shaping up to be one of the biggest policy debates on deck. There are three broad paths on the table. A cohort of mostly Republicans has opposed the program all along and are likely to continue fighting for repeal. (McDermott, 1/1)
The Washington Post: GOP Congressman Wants To Slash Federal Contribution To D.C. Medicaid Costs
A conservative congressman from Virginia has proposed legislation to require the District to pay a larger share of its Medicaid costs, a change that D.C. officials say could cost the city at least a half-billion dollars a year. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said the bill filed by Rep. H. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) would “lead to devastating cuts in programs and services for our most vulnerable neighbors, and we won’t stand for it.” (Portnoy, 12/27)
WBUR: Mass. Employers Face New Health Care Assessments In 2018
The new year will bring with it mixed financial news for Massachusetts employers, with $200 million in new health care assessments and unemployment insurance rate relief both scheduled to take effect. The changes, effective Jan. 1, are part of a plan Gov. Charlie Baker proposed this summer in an effort to get a handle on the rising costs of MassHealth, the $16 billion Medicaid program that makes up the largest expenditure in the roughly $40 billion state budget and crowds out other spending priorities. (Lannan, 12/29)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: New Medicaid Rule Will Further Open Acupuncture Services To 108,000 Ohio Patients With Low Back Pain, Migraines
Starting January 1, more than 108,000 Ohioans on Medicaid who have diagnosed low back pain or migraines will be able to see an acupuncturist for pain management. The change in policy is part of an effort to reduce the number of unnecessary opioid prescriptions and overdose deaths in the state that arise from treating chronic pain with addictive drugs. (Zeltner, 12/31)
