Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Likelihood Of Medicaid Requiring Enrollees To Work Sparks Controversy
The Hill: Trump Officials Eye Work Requirements For Medicaid Recipients
The Trump administration plans to do something no other administration has done before — allow states to impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients. In the coming months, the Trump administration could approve waivers allowing eight states to implement the work requirements: Arkansas, Arizona, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, Utah and Wisconsin. All but three of the states accepted ObamaCare’s expansion of Medicaid to cover more low-income adults. (Hellmann, 11/16)
Kaiser Health News: Trump Administration Plan to Add Medicaid Work Requirement Stirs Fears
The Trump administration’s recent endorsement of work requirements in Medicaid and increased state flexibility is part of broader strategy to shrink the fast-growing program for the poor and advance conservative ideas that Republicans failed to get through Congress. Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, laid out her vision for the state-federal program in two appearances last week, saying her new course give states wide latitude over eligibility and benefits. (Galewitz, 11/15)
Des Moines Register: UnityPoint Tells Medicaid Patients They May Need To Find New Providers
UnityPoint Health has told approximately 54,000 of its Medicaid patients they may need to change their health plan or find different health care providers at the start of the year. UnityPoint in a statement said it has been unable to reach an agreement in its contract negotiations with Amerigroup of Iowa, which is one of the two private managed care companies Iowa has contracted with to manage the state's Medicaid program. (Pfannenstiel, 11/15)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Auditor: Personal Touch Home Care Owes $4.51 Million In Medicaid Overpayments
A home health agency in Hamilton County that employed nearly 80 unqualified employees owes Ohio $4.51 million for Medicaid overpayments Ohio Auditor Dave Yost announced Tuesday. From 2012 through 2014, Personal Touch Home Care of Ohio was reimbursed $9.46 million by the Ohio Department of Medicaid for providing home health services. Auditors said $4.25 million of that amount was overpayment based on 773 errors in a sample of 1,728 services. (Brookbank, 11/14)
Crain's Chicago Business: IlliniCare Slashing Rates To Medicaid Suppliers
IlliniCare, a private insurer that's part of Gov. Bruce Rauner's Medicaid managed care overhaul, is cutting reimbursement rates to medical suppliers by up to 50 percent. The rate cut beginning on Jan. 1 impacts suppliers that provide durable medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, oxygen tanks and ventilators, to low-income residents on Medicaid. (Schorsch, 11/16)
