Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicaid Pulling Some Funding For Oklahoma Teaching Hospitals
Oklahoma Watch/Tulsa World: State Could Lose $115 Million In Medicaid Funds For Teaching Hospitals
Oklahoma’s two largest safety-net hospitals could lose $115 million a year because the state spent Medicaid dollars on training doctors for well over a decade apparently without approval, Oklahoma Watch has learned. The University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University’s medical schools and associated teaching hospitals also could need an emergency injection of about $30 million from the Legislature this fiscal year because of the dispute with the federal government over a Medicaid waiver. The money would get them through June 30. (Monies, 12/16)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Vetoes Oklahoma's Request For Funds To Recruit Docs
The CMS has denied Oklahoma's request to receive federal Medicaid funds to pay state universities to recruit, train and retain medical professionals and bring more physicians to the state. Oklahoma had submitted the request over the summer to make supplemental payments to state teaching universities so they could grow and improve the healthcare workforce in the state. (Dickson, 12/15)
The Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier: South Carolina Medicaid Ushers In Changes To Autism Services
Three years ago, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a mandate that required state Medicaid agencies to cover services for children diagnosed with autism. This includes, in some cases, one-on-one therapy called Applied Behavior Analysis, which is intensive and expensive but considered by experts the gold standard of treatment. ... Levi, for one, needs ABA therapy. His autism diagnosis qualifies him for Medicaid benefits, but [his mother, Erin] Bailey can't find a treatment provider who accepts this insurance. The rate South Carolina Medicaid pays for applied behavior analysis — about $17 an hour — is simply too low, she said. "It’s crazy," she said. "We could double our rate and still be the lowest. North Carolina reimburses at $50 a hour." (Sausser, 12/17)
Crain's Chicago Business: Rauner Keeping Public In The Dark About Rates In Medicaid Reboot
The key ingredients of Gov. Bruce Rauner's Medicaid managed care overhaul are outsourcing the bulk of the program to private insurers and paying them cheaper rates. By doing so, the state intends to save an estimated $1 billion over four years. But the Rauner administration is keeping some crucial details secret. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, which runs Medicaid, redacted reimbursement rates from the contracts for four of the seven insurers selected through a competitive bidding process. Crain's obtained the contracts through the Freedom of Information Act. (Schorsch, 12/18)
