Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Many Black, Latino Parents Don't Know Children Are Eligible For Health Coverage: Study
The Washington Post: Study Finds Surprising Reason Why More Black, Latino Children Aren’t Insured
Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) were developed to give society’s most vulnerable kids a chance at health care. But there’s a catch: In many states, parents must sign their kids up for the programs to receive coverage. And to sign their kids up, parents must know that their kids are eligible in the first place. A new study published in the International Journal for Equity in Health found a distressing information gap among parents of uninsured Latino and African American kids. (Blakemore, 4/4)
Des Moines Register: Managed Care Handoff ‘Smooth,' Branstad Says
Gov. Terry Branstad said Monday the official shifting of 560,000 poor and disabled Iowans to privately managed Medicaid health care has gone off without any major hiccups so far. “By the reports that we’ve received, the transition to managed care has been smooth and went off without any major disruptions to Medicaid patients or the providers that are serving them,” Branstad said. (Pfannenstiel, 4/4)
Radio Iowa: Branstad Says It’s Been ‘Relative Smooth’ Transition To Medicaid Privatization
Last Friday, about 3,000 calls were made to the state “call center” created to help figure out benefits for Iowa Medicaid patients and the health care professionals who treat them. Friday was the day Iowa’s 560,000 Medicaid patients were switched to a private managed care system. Governor Terry Branstad describes the transition as “smooth." (Henderson, 4/4)
The Kansas Health Institute News Service: Registry Aims To Link Medicaid Patients, Personal Care Workers
A statewide registry is in the works to make it easier for Medicaid patients to find qualified, reliable personal care workers. That’s good news for Bill Stovall of Topeka and others like him who help direct care for their family members. (Hart, 4/4)
Winston-Salem Journal: Audit: N.C. Medicaid Overpayment Estimated To Cost $835M Last Year
The state Department of Health and Human Services has been cited again by the State Auditor’s Office with lack of effective oversight, this time involving an estimated $835 million in Medicaid overpayments to doctors and hospitals. The state Medicaid program covers about 1.9 million North Carolina residents and is a $14 billion-a-year program. (Craver, 4/4)
Charlotte Observer/Raleigh News & Observer: Magnitude Of NC Medicaid Errors In Dispute
DHHS processed about 127 million claims for payments totaling $11 billion last year, according to the audit. Auditors looked at a sample of 396 payments and found errors in 50 of them, with total overpayments of $4,288. The errors amount to $835 million when projected to cover the entire caseload, the audit said. DHHS spokeswoman Kendra Gerlach challenged that figure in a statement, saying the cost was lower. (Bonner, 4/4)
Albuquerque (N.H.) Journal: Insurer Might Drop UNMH From Medicaid Coverage
When Alexander Hernandez of Los Lunas received a letter recently telling him his Medicaid coverage might drop his doctors, it was jaw-dropping news. His insurance provider, UnitedHealthcare, had written to tell the 79-year-old he might no longer have access to University of New Mexico Hospital and its providers. “The whole reason he is alive is because of his health care team,” his caregiver Ann Piro said, adding that Hernandez has had a kidney transplant and a triple bypass, and is also diabetic and on oxygen. (Sinovic, 4/4)
