Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Nonpartisan Commission Tells Government It Should Pump The Brakes On Arkansas' Medicaid Work Requirements
The Hill: Federal Panel Warns Of People Losing Health Coverage In Arkansas From Work Requirement
A nonpartisan government commission on Medicaid is calling on the Trump administration to pause the practice of revoking Medicaid coverage for people in Arkansas who fail to meet the state’s new work requirements. The letter from the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) states that the commission is “highly concerned” that 8,462 people have lost their health coverage through Medicaid this year for failing to meet the state’s new work requirement. (Sullivan, 11/8)
Arkansas Times: Push Pause On Arkansas's Medicaid Work Requirement, Federal Oversight Panel Says
The letter, which was sent to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, also expressed concerns about a number of other issues with Arkansas's work rule. For one thing, the state requires beneficiaries to report their work hours online, even though Arkansas has limited internet access. The Arkansas Department of Human Services says it has set up a means for people to report their work hours information by phone by relaying the information through "registered reporters" — insurance agents, social workers or others — but MACPAC says Arkansas DHS "was unable to provide MACPAC with information on how many beneficiaries are taking advantage of that assistance." (Hardy, 11/8)
In other Medicaid news —
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Might Not Have Properly Vetted Some Medicaid Enrollees
Maryland may have allowed residents who did not qualify for Medicaid into the government health program for the poor by failing to consider all of their income, according to a routine audit of the quasi-governmental agency that oversees the Maryland health exchange. The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange was created under the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, to run an online insurance portal where people could buy insurance if they did not get coverage at work. In Maryland, residents also sign up for Medicaid through the exchange. (Cohn, 11/8)
