Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Kansas Contractor Faces $750K Fine For Medicaid Backlog Error
Kansas Health Institute: State Contractor Oversight Criticized In Wake Of Medicaid Mistake
News of a mistake that dropped several thousand Kansans from state Medicaid backlog reports has advocates and Democratic lawmakers questioning the state’s oversight of the contractor blamed for the error. Susan Mosier, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, sent a letter to federal officials June 10 to let them know that the reports they had been receiving since February — which showed the state’s backlog of Medicaid applications steadily declining — were inaccurate. (Marso, 6/21)
The Columbus Dispatch: Kasich Signs Orders To Aid Low-Income Families, Speed Up Addiction Counseling
Gov. John Kasich signed an executive order today to fund after-school enrichment programs for poor children, help moms with low birth-weight babies, boost former prisoners, and provide winter coats for kids. Kasich also issued another executive order expanding access to addiction treatment by including licensed independent chemical dependency counselors in Medicaid coverage. (Johnson, 6/21)
Politico Pro: Kentucky Medicaid Changes Could Have Widespread Effects
Kentucky’s plan to change its Medicaid program may affect the Obamacare expansion population as well as traditional enrollees in Medicaid managed care and CHIP, a top health adviser to Republican Gov. Matt Bevin has suggested. Mark Birdwhistell discussed the state’s pending Medicaid waiver at a closed-door meeting of the Health Care Policy Council of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce on Monday, according to two sources who described his remarks as a pitch for why the waiver is needed. (Pradhan, 6/21)
California Healthline: Medi-Cal To Spend Nearly $1 Billion On Hepatitis C Drugs Next Year
High prices for new hepatitis C drugs have forced California health officials to budget nearly $1 billion next year in additional payments for managed care plans to treat Medi-Cal patients infected with the disease. The health insurance industry calls the arrangement a “patch on the problem” of unsustainable drug pricing. (Bartolone, 6/21)
Health News Florida: Hospitals, AHCA Battle Over Care For Undocumented Immigrants
In what was dubbed an "inevitable sequel" in a long-running legal battle, a state appeals court Tuesday heard arguments in a dispute about Medicaid payments to hospitals that provide emergency care to undocumented immigrants. (6/21)
The Associated Press: 5 Indicted In $38 Million New York Health Care Fraud Scheme
Five people have been indicted in a $38 million health care fraud and money laundering scheme in New York City. An indictment filed Monday in Brooklyn charges the defendants of bilking Medicare and Medicaid by referring customers to medical clinics and taking illegal kickbacks in return. The alleged scheme had been operating in Brooklyn for nearly a decade. (6/21)
The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore Man Sentenced For Filing Fraudulent Medicaid Claims
A Baltimore man was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to one count of felony Medicaid fraud, the Maryland attorney general's office announced Tuesday. (Cohn, 6/21)
