Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicaid Health Plan In Massachusetts Stops Taking New Members After Financial Losses
Boston Globe: Neighborhood Health Plan Stops Taking MassHealth Members
Neighborhood Health Plan has stopped accepting new Medicaid members after losing $241 million since 2014, a troubling sign of how hard it is to serve low-income residents in a state with some of the highest health care costs in the country. Neighborhood, a subsidiary of Partners HealthCare and the largest Medicaid insurer in Massachusetts, said it temporarily froze enrollment as part of a “corrective action plan” developed with state health officials. The unusual move means low-income families who qualify for Medicaid — a joint federal-state program called MassHealth in Massachusetts — will have fewer insurance options. (Dayal McCluskey, 10/27)
The Baltimore Sun: In Maryland, Diabetics Costs Medicaid Twice As Much, Study Finds
A study commissioned by the society that represents Maryland's doctors has found that Medicaid, the insurance program for the poor, is spending twice as much money to treat people with diabetes than those who don't have the chronic condition. Results of the study commissioned by MedChi and conducted by the Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County are scheduled to be released today. It found that Medicaid spending for a patient with diabetes in 2014 was $24,387, compared to $10,880 for someone without the disease. (McDaniels, 10/27)
