Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
N.C. Lawmakers Working Toward Covering More Low-Income People, But Shy Away From Politically Charged 'Medicaid Expansion' Term
WRAL: Don't Call It Medicaid Expansion: House Republicans Offer Low-Income Health Plan
Some House Republicans are again pitching their idea to expand health coverage to hundreds of thousands of uninsured people in North Carolina, but it likely faces an uphill battle in the legislature. The sponsors of House Bill 655, dubbed the North Carolina Health Care for Working Families Act, don't call their proposal Medicaid expansion, noting that it would function as a private insurance plan managed by Medicaid providers. (Leslie, 4/9)
North Carolina Health News: Lawmakers Look For Ways To Cover More Low-Income Uninsured
Two years ago, a group of Republicans in the North Carolina House of Representatives made a splash when they defied their party’s orthodoxy: They wanted to provide a way to get hundreds of thousands of low-income North Carolinians access to health insurance via the state’s Medicaid program. But they didn’t say they were “expanding Medicaid,” they called it Carolina Cares. This year, the same quartet of lawmakers are back, this time with a bill they’re calling the NC Health Care for Working Families Act. Again, Rep. Donny Lambeth (R-Winston-Salem) said that this was “a North Carolina solution.” (Hoban, 4/10)
The Bismark Tribune: North Dakota House Committee Rejects Major Changes On Medicaid Expansion
North Dakota House lawmakers declined to back major changes to the state's Medicaid expansion program Tuesday, marking a victory for health care providers who lobbied against the proposal. A panel of House budget-writers rejected Gov. Doug Burgum's plan to have the Department of Human Services administer Medicaid expansion and cut provider reimbursement rates. In his budget address last year, the Republican governor said the changes would "free up" money and allow the state to "reinvest in access to behavioral health services.” (Hageman, 4/9)
The Associated Press: Lawmakers Won't Move Medicaid Expansion Oversight To State
Gov. Doug Burgum has not convinced lawmakers that a state agency can do a better job of administering North Dakota’s Medicaid expansion program. A House appropriations subcommittee that reviews human services spending failed to endorse the idea on Tuesday, mirroring what the Senate had done earlier. The first-term Republican governor pitched the idea in his state-of-the-state address in January, saying handling the Medicaid expansion program in-house would be more efficient and less costly. Burgum said savings to the program would be reinvested in other health initiatives. (MacPherson, 4/9)
CNN: Illinois To Ensure Medicaid Coverage Of Gender-Change Surgery
Illinois' Medicaid program will soon ensure coverage of gender-affirming surgeries for transgender adults who meet certain diagnostic criteria, the state's Department of Healthcare and Family Services said in a release. The department is developing rules for the coverage, and it's likely to be adopted this summer, according to the release. Medicaid members must be at least 21 years old and have a diagnosis of gender dysphoria, a term that describes the distress people suffer when the gender they identify with doesn't match the gender assigned to them at birth. (Waldrop, 4/9)
Columbus Dispatch: CVS Caremark Dumped By Big Medicaid Insurer
CareSource, by far Ohio’s largest Medicaid managed-care provider, announced that it was firing CVS Caremark as its pharmacy benefit manager. Starting Jan. 1, the 1.2 million Medicaid clients served by Dayton-based CareSource will have their prescriptions handled by Express Scripts, another of the nation’s three dominant pharmacy benefit managers. (Schladen, 4/9)
And in other Medicaid news —
Modern Healthcare: Nancy Pelosi Calls For DSH Cut Delay, But No Changes To Formula
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told hospital leaders on Tuesday that she supports delaying $4 billion in cuts to disproportionate-share hospitals but stopped short of endorsing GOP efforts to change the DSH formula. At the American Hospital Association's annual meeting, the California Democrat said that changing the DSH formula would harm Medicaid expansion states. (King, 4/9)
