Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicaid Work Requirement Hearing In Minnesota Draws Emotional Testimony From Advocates
Pioneer Press: Requiring Those On Medicaid To Work Leaves Deep Divisions At MN Senate Hearing
The bill drew emotional testimony from about two dozen people, all but one opposing it. Testimony came from witnesses, such as a veteran who said, “I was willing to protect my country, now I am asking you to protect me,” and county officials who said they would have to add hundreds of people to handle paperwork Johnson’s legislation would cause. In the end, the Republican majority won as the health and human services committee voted 7-6 in favor of the bill. State Sen. Scott Jensen, R-Chaska, abstained. He is a medical doctor who said the legislation is “part of the journey” to improve health care, but he could not accept it as is. (Davis, 3/30)
In other Medicaid news —
Modern Healthcare: Maine Governor Balks At Submitting Medicaid Expansion Plan To CMS
Like other state Republican officials across the country, Maine Gov. Paul LePage has argued his state can't afford to expand coverage to low-income adults even though the federal government would pick up the bulk of the cost. But a new national report from the Brookings Institution shows 31 expansion states have incurred negligible costs so far, at least partly because federal expansion dollars cover costs the states were bearing prior to expansion. That finding runs counter to conservative claims that Medicaid expansion spending is an "out-of-control wildfire" for states. (Meyer, 3/30)
Kaiser Health News: Medicaid Minus Stigma: In Indian Country, It’s Part Of The Fabric Of Life
On a crisp sunny day, Tyson Toledo, a precocious 5-year-old boy, hobbled into a private health clinic to have his infected foot examined. Pediatrician Gayle Harrison told his mother to continue to apply antibiotic ointment and reminded them to come back if the swelling and redness worsened. The appointment at Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services’ outpatient center comes at no charge for the Toledo family, who live 30 miles away on the Navajo Nation Reservation. That’s because Tyson is covered by Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor. (Galewitz, 4/2)
