Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ky. Governor's Plan To Revamp Medicaid Expansion Panned In Second Public Hearing
Louisville (Ky.) Courier-Journal: Critics Turn Out At Hearing On Medicaid Plan
An overflow crowd filled a public hearing Wednesday, the second chance for people to comment on Gov. Matt Bevin's proposal to reshape the state's Medicaid plan into one he says could make people healthier and more responsible for their care. And for the second day in row the plan was slammed by opponents who said it will force too many people off Medicaid coverage by making the federal-state health plan too costly and overly complicated with premiums, deductibles and other demands. (Yetter, 6/29)
Lexington (Ky.) Herald Leader: Critics Find Much To Dislike In Gov. Bevin’s Medicaid Proposal
Bevin’s plan to drop Medicaid coverage for dental and vision care unless participants perform community service or other tasks to win “reward points” proved especially unpopular. “What I think you are doing is putting fiscal responsibility over what is good and right,” former Medicaid recipient A.J. Jones of Louisville told several of Bevin’s aides, who faced a packed hearing room in the Capitol Annex. “I don’t think it’s dignified to have to pick up trash on the side of the road to have a tooth pulled,” Jones said. “And I don’t think that you think it’s dignified to do that. If you did, then you would be picking up trash on the side of the road to get your tooth pulled.” (Cheves, 6/29)
Health News Florida: Federal Judge Signs Off On Medicaid Settlement
A Miami federal judge gave final approval Tuesday to a settlement agreement in a decade-long legal battle between the Florida Academy of Pediatrics and the state. ... Attorney Stuart Singer says the settlement agreement will require the state to pay qualifying doctors nearly double traditional Medicaid rates. (Ash, 6/29)
Health News Florida: Physicians Unhappy With Managed Medicaid System, Report Finds
Since 2014, Florida’s Medicaid program has been run not by the state but through private insurance companies. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has written about problems with the managed care system and a recent report from Georgetown University surveyed pediatricians to determine how they feel about the system. Health News Florida Editor Julio Ochoa sat down with one of the report’s authors, Joan Alker, executive director of the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University. (Ochoa, 6/29)
And in other news on Medicaid expansion issues —
Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal: Lack Of Medicaid Expansion Played 'Big' Role In Decision To Sell St. Francis, Hospital President Says
The lack of Medicaid expansion in Kansas played a “big” role in the decision to sell St. Francis Health, the hospital’s president said Wednesday, detailing how the organization faces financial pressure over the state’s unwillingness to increase program eligibility. The hospital forgoes up to $10 million in revenue each year because of non-expansion, David Setchel said. Owner SCL Health put the central Topeka hospital up for sale in May. (Shorman, 6/29)
Alaska Dispatch News: Legislative Council Drops Medicaid Lawsuit Against Gov. Walker
The Alaska Legislative Council voted Wednesday to end its lawsuit challenging the expansion of Medicaid, opting to not pursue an appeal of the decision it lost in Superior Court in Anchorage to Gov. Bill Walker. The vote by the Legislative Council, a House-Senate committee that conducts the Legislature's business, followed another ruling last week that the House could not continue the appeal to the Alaska Supreme Court on its own, as one of the 40 House members, Rep. Craig Johnson, R-Anchorage, had attempted. (Hanlon, 6/29)
