Minnesota Sues HHS, CMS In Fight Over $243M In Medicaid Funds
The Trump administration wants to temporarily withhold some Medicaid funding from Minnesota, citing fraud concerns. State officials warn the move could force cuts to health care for low-income families.
AP:
Minnesota Sues Trump Administration Over $243M Medicaid Spending Withholding
Minnesota on Monday sued President Donald Trump’s administration in an attempt to stop it from withholding $243 million in Medicaid spending, warning it may have to cut health care for low-income families if the funding is held back. The lawsuit asked a U.S. court in Minneapolis to issue a temporary restraining order to block the withholding for Medicaid, which is the health care safety net for low-income Americans. (McAvoy, 3/3)
CBS News:
Minnesota House Panel Discusses Transportation Services For Medicaid Patients, A Program At Risk For Fraud
Thousands of Minnesotans enrolled in Medicaid take a total of millions of trips to their medical appointments each year through nonemergency medical transportation services, a federally required, taxpayer-funded program that's among more than a dozen others Minnesota determined to be at "high risk" for fraud. On Monday, Department of Human Services officials testified to the Minnesota House fraud prevention panel about its vulnerabilities and steps the agency has taken to fight fraud. (Cummings, 3/2)
Modern Healthcare:
DOJ Ramps Up Healthcare Fraud Enforcement, Raising Provider Costs
Federal law enforcement agencies have stepped up healthcare fraud enforcement, forcing providers to spend more time and money on defense. Last year, the Justice Department initiated the most fraud lawsuits against healthcare companies since it started tracking that data in 1986. Health systems, physician groups and other providers are bracing for more inquiries from federal law enforcers emboldened by new initiatives and artificial intelligence-backed data analytics. (Kacik, 3/2)
In other news from the Trump administration —
AP:
White House Attributes Redness On Trump's Neck To Skin Cream
The White House on Monday attributed a large red spot on President Donald Trump’s neck to a skin cream he is using, without elaborating on what condition it is treating. The redness drew widespread attention Monday, when news photographers captured close-up images of the president’s neck during a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House. (Min Kim, 3/3)
KFF Health News:
Federal Aid For Lead Cleanup Is Receding. That’s A Problem For Cash-Strapped Cities
Tighter regulations and an influx of federal money in recent years have helped communities across the U.S. initiate efforts to clean up lead contamination in soil, drinking water, and older homes. But Congress and the Trump administration have partially rolled back those rules and resources, potentially making it more challenging for cash-strapped cities and towns to undertake sweeping lead remediation programs. That’s the case in New Orleans, where an investigation by Verite News found high lead levels in about half of the playgrounds on city property and found detectable levels of the toxic metal in most homes that tested their drinking water in a voluntary program. (Parker, 3/3)
On RFK Jr. and MAHA —
MedPage Today:
RFK Jr. Says He Has ADHD
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he has attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during an appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast that aired on Friday. The two were talking at the beginning of the show about being able to focus; Rogan implied he likes to wear headphones during podcasts because it "locks me in" and keeps him focused on his interviewee's voice. (Fiore, 3/2)
Stat:
MAHA Goes Global: Inside The Rise Of The Make Europe Healthy Again Movement
In a crowded chamber last autumn, Robert Malone, a medical doctor and prominent adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., spoke for more than 45 minutes about some of the health secretary’s favorite targets, including routine vaccines, ultra-processed foods, and antidepressants. When he wrapped with a signature nod to “making America healthy again,” a standing ovation broke out. This wasn’t a typical MAHA gathering in Washington, D.C. Malone was speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels, helping to launch a new organization: Make Europe Healthy Again, or MEHA. Echoing its American cousin, the group says it aims to prevent chronic diseases, protect the environment, promote scientific transparency, and help Europeans “reclaim [their] health and sovereignty.” (Galvin, 3/3)
The New York Times:
As Kennedy Turns From Vaccines, MAHA Allies See A ‘Betrayal’
To all appearances, it was the next stage in the dismantling of the American vaccine program. Federal regulators refused last month to review a new mRNA flu shot from Moderna, the latest consequence of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign to give skeptics control of the bureaucracy overseeing inoculations. But then, curiously, regulators had a change of heart. Within weeks, the review of the mRNA shot was back on. (Mueller, 3/2)
