Medicaid Managed Care Official Sees Growing Role For Plans On Health Law Marketplaces
Jeff Myers tells The Hill, "It seems to me that the exchange products that work best are ones that, rather than just open up a giant network and provide lots of services, really look at, are there services that we can open up and drive that will improve health outcomes and reduce cost?” News outlets also report on Medicaid developments in Kansas and Nebraska.
The Hill:
Advocating For More Managed Care
[Jeff] Myers is the top advocate for insurers under Medicaid managed care, where states will contract with a private company to run their Medicaid programs. ... And the model is growing: Nearly 55 million people — about three-fourths of all Medicaid enrollees — are now covered under managed care, a sharp increase even in the past three years, according to a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. ... The [health law] marketplaces, also called exchanges, have been plagued this year by insurers dropping out or hiking premiums due to financial losses. But some insurers with experience in the Medicaid business are faring better. And that’s no coincidence, Myers says. One point helping those insurers is having a narrower network, i.e., fewer doctors to choose from. But more important, Myers said, are other programs to help low-income sick people make the most of their insurance. (Sullivan, 9/27)
Kansas Health Institute:
National Meeting On Medicaid Managed Care To Include Focus On KanCare
Several Kansans are scheduled to meet Tuesday with federal officials and counterparts from across the country to discuss issues related to the privatization of state Medicaid programs. Two Kansas legislators — Democratic Sen. Laura Kelly of Topeka and Republican Rep. Chuck Weber of Wichita — are expected to attend the meeting in Baltimore, along with Rocky Nichols, a former legislator who now heads the Disability Rights Center of Kansas, Janet Williams, the chief executive of Communityworks Inc., a home health agency based in Overland Park, and Mike Oxford, director of the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center. (McClean, 9/26)
Kansas Health Institute:
After Medicaid Cuts, Top Kansas Dentist Drops Two KanCare Insurers
The president of the Kansas Dental Association said he has stopped taking patients from two of the state’s three KanCare insurance companies because of a 4 percent Medicaid reimbursement cut initiated by Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration. (Marso, 9/26)
Lincoln (Neb.) Journal Star:
State Could Owe Feds Up To $32 Million Over Medicaid Payments
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services could owe the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services up to $32 million in reimbursements for provider payments that were not allowed over a two-year period. (Young, 9/27)
