Medicaid Advocates In Utah Stage Protest Of GOP Lawmakers’ Refusal To Expand The Program

Salt Lake Tribune: Advocates Keep Up Pressure For Medicaid Expansion
Three-hundred-and-sixty-one white wooden crosses were planted in the lawn of the Utah Capitol on Wednesday, representing the estimated number of people who have died because of the Legislature's failure to expand Medicaid, as advocates kept pressure on lawmakers to act. "If Utah has any great leaders lurking in this swamp of ineffectiveness, here is what he, she or they should do: First seize the moment before the federal-incentive window slams shut," said David Irvine, a former Republican House member and board member of Alliance For a Better Utah, a progressive advocacy group. "Second, stop wasting everyone's time and flimflamming the public with a secret policymaking process." (Gehrke, 10/21)

KUTV (Salt Lake City): Crosses On Capitol Lawn Show Consequence Of Waiting For Medicaid Expansion
A Symbolic memorial service was held today for hundreds of Utahan's who statistically have lost their lives waiting for Medicaid expansion. ... The Capitol's south lawn was covered in crosses as legislators entered the building for meetings, a week after a closed-door caucus decided to kill the latest Medicaid expansion bill. The crosses were placed as a stark reminder that 126,000 Utahan's are waiting for leaders to come up with a plan that would help low income families find health insurance. (Hatch, 10/21)

Deseret News: Feds Spending 'Serious Dollars' On Obamacare In Utah, House GOP Hears
Even without Medicaid expansion, Utahns are paying less in taxes related to President Barack Obama's health care law than they're getting back, the House Republican caucus heard Wednesday. "These are important numbers," House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, said. "I think many will be surprised by what the data says versus what we're hearing by way of narrative." (Riley Roche, 10/21)

The Associated Press: South Dakota Medicaid Plan Would Boost Native American Care
In considering an expansion of Medicaid to make nearly 50,000 more state residents eligible for the program, South Dakota's proposal also focuses on improving access to care and boosting the health of the state's large Native American population. The Health Care Solutions Coalition met Wednesday in Pierre to discuss in part the proposal's impact on Native Americans, who make up nearly 9 percent of South Dakota's population. The plan under examination to expand the Medicaid program for low-income and disabled people would be funded through state savings by improving access to care though the Indian Health Service and a change in the classification of some services to have them fully paid for by the federal government. (Nord,10/21)

NJ Spotlight: Sluggish Renewal Rates Could Cost New Medicaid Recipients Their Coverage
A “significant” number of the New Jerseyans who picked up health insurance due to the expansion in Medicaid eligibility could lose their coverage if they fail to file renewals, according to the state’s Medicaid director. Valerie Harr, director of the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services, said that despite three mailed notices to every resident asking them provide their income and other relevant information to determine whether they are still eligible for coverage, a significant number of residents aren’t responding. (Kitchenman, 10/21)

California Healthline: State Scales Back Medicaid Waiver Request From $17 Billion to $7 Billion
On Tuesday, a policy analyst from the state Legislative Analyst's Office said the state has revised its 1115 Medicaid waiver request, trimming it from $17 billion to about $7.25 billion. LAO analyst Felix Su said federal officials have balked at some of the funding options laid out in the state's waiver request, and that officials from the Department of Health Care Services recently made it clear to stakeholders that the full plate of payment and delivery system reforms in the state's request have been scaled back. (Gorn, 10/21)