Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New York's Medicaid Program Paid $60K For Sex Offenders To Get Erectile Dysfunction Drugs, Audit Finds
The Democrat & Chronicle: New York Paid $60K For Erectile Dysfunction Drugs For Sex Offenders
The state’s Medicaid program paid more than $60,000 for sexual and erectile dysfunction drugs for 47 sex offenders over a six-year period, a state audit released Wednesday found. In total, Medicaid made more than $930,000 in payments for erectile dysfunction drugs for recipients, including sex offenders, that are barred under the program, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said. “There are clear rules about what conditions Medicaid will cover when it comes to erectile dysfunction drugs," DiNapoli said in a statement. (Spector, 6/5)
The Associated Press: Medicaid Bought Sex Offenders' Erectile Dysfunction Drugs
Federal rules bar Medicaid coverage of sexual treatments for all recipients, not just sex offenders. Yet state Medicaid officials approved $930,000 in improper payments for the drugs between 2012 and 2018, according to the audit released by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and first reported by The Associated Press. (Klepper, 6/5)
The Hill: New York Medicaid Program Bought Sex Offenders' Erectile Dysfunction Drugs, Audit Finds
The state Department of Health fired back after the audit’s release, saying it “strongly disagrees with the Comptroller’s conclusions,” adding that it believes only about $8,000 of the payments from 2012 to 2018 were questionable. (Campisi, 6/5)
In other Medicaid news —
NH Times Union: Bill To Ease Work Requirement For Medicaid Clears House
A Senate-passed bill to substantially weaken the work requirement in New Hampshire’s expanded Medicaid program cleared the House in a 207-143 party line vote on Wednesday, without a single Republican in support. The bill, SB 290, faces a likely veto from Gov. Chris Sununu, and did not pass in either chamber with veto-proof majorities. Among other things, it would end the work requirement entirely if it resulted in more than 500 people losing their benefits out of 50,000 in the expanded version of the federally funded health insurance program for low-income households. (Solomon, 6/5)
North Carolina Health News: Medicaid By The Numbers, 2019
Medicaid – the $14.6 billion health care program managed by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services – is one of the state’s biggest expenditures and funded with a mix of federal and state dollars. With size, however, comes complexity, and the particulars of the Medicaid program and how it affects the low-income seniors, disabled persons and children and their families can often become lost among the figures about growth and cost. (Ovaska-Few, 6/6)
Wyoming Public Radio: Lawmakers Look At Medicaid As Source Of Special Education Funding
Wyoming is the only state not using Medicaid to cover special education services in schools, and that could be costing the state money. The Joint Education Committee asked the Wyoming Department of Health and the Department of Education to explore using Medicaid funds for services like speech, occupational, and physical therapy. That's what other states do. (Watson, 6/5)
