Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Missouri Governor Vetoes Bill That Would Charge Medicaid Patients For Missed Appointments
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Nixon Vetoes Late Fee Plan For Medicaid Patients
Gov. Jay Nixon vetoed a proposed law Tuesday that would have allowed Missouri doctors to charge their low-income patients late fees for missed appointments. The idea was part of a package of health care-related legislation approved by the Republican-led Legislature this spring. It includes a separate plan requiring participants in the state’s Medicaid program to pay an $8 copayment fee when they use a hospital emergency room for the treatment of a non-emergency condition. (Erickson, 7/5)
The Associated Press: Nixon Vetoes Push To Charge For Missed Medicaid Appointments
Under the measure sent to Nixon on May 25, Medicaid providers could have incrementally charged patients for missing appointments if they didn't give 24-hour notice. The fees would have been $5 for the second missed appointment, $10 for the third and $20 for the fourth and each subsequent one. Health care providers would have been required to waive the fee in cases of inclement weather. (7/5)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Bill Aims To Make Medicaid Enrollment Smoother For Those Leaving Jail In Pennsylvania
Medicaid stops at prison and jail walls in Pennsylvania, and getting it started up again can take time. However, a change in the state’s Human Services code would mean Medicaid is suspended, rather than terminated, for those who are incarcerated. That would allow people who leave prison to be immediately re-enrolled and have health care, rather than having up to 45 days after they leave prison in which they can’t get needed medication. This change is part of the state’s Human Services code, which legislators sent to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk last week. (Giammarise, 7/6)
Morning Consult: CBO: House Mental Health Bill Would Reduce Medicaid Spending
A mental health bill expecting a vote in the House this week would likely reduce net direct Medicaid spending by $5 million between 2017 and 2026, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The legislation would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits for any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027, the CBO predicts. The bill would reduce federal Medicaid spending and would similarly result in lower state Medicaid spending between 2017 and 2026, the office projects. (McIntire, 7/5)
The (Baton Rouge, La.) Advocate: What Gives? Uncertainty Surrounds Louisiana's Newly Medicaid-Eligible, Choices With Obamacare Plans
Tens of thousands of those Louisiana residents — the total is not known — already have health insurance policies through what is called the federal marketplace, an Obamacare program that pays most of their insurance premiums. The state says people who bought individual policies through the federal marketplace but now qualify for Medicaid under the state expansion can keep their Obamacare plans if they prefer them over Medicaid. They just have to keep paying their share of the premiums. “There’s no requirement that they move,” said Ruth Kennedy, the Louisiana Medicaid expansion project director. But Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, the state’s largest health insurer and carrier for the bulk of Obamacare policies, says that’s not allowed under federal regulations. (Griggs, 7/2)
The Denver Post: Centura Health Will Leverage Grant To Increase Child Insurance Enrollment In Colorado
The nonprofit system’s community health advocates have assisted nearly 6,500 Coloradans in obtaining coverage in fiscal year 2016, and now have targeted children and families with the new initiative aimed at signing up an additional 7,500. As of December 2015, Colorado had an estimated 52,657 eligible children who aren’t enrolled in health insurance, ranking it 37th nationally, according to the Colorado Health Institute. (7/5)
