Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Oklahoma Is Latest State To Signal Interest In Adding Medicaid Work Requirements
The Hill: Oklahoma Exploring Plan For Medicaid Work Requirement
Oklahoma will develop a plan within the next six months on how to add work requirements into its Medicaid program. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin (R) on Tuesday issued an executive order requiring the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which manages the state’s Medicaid program, to file the plans to her and the state legislature. (Roubein, 3/7)
WTOP: Medicaid Expansion Fight Could Send Va. Lawmakers Into Overtime
The yearslong fight over Medicaid expansion to cover around 300,000 more low-income Virginians could again derail the state’s two-year budget. The General Assembly is supposed to adjourn by Saturday night, but a top Senate budget negotiator said Wednesday that the small group of lawmakers responsible for a budget plan remain far from a deal over one of the tougher budget negotiations in recent memory. (Smith, 3/7)
Richmond Times Dispatch: Sen. Reeves Slams House; Hanger Suggests Budget Might Not Be Done By Saturday
There’s always some tension between the Virginia House of Delegates and the Senate. But tensions are a little higher this year as lawmakers struggle to find “the Virginia Way.” Frustration made a few appearances on the Senate floor Wednesday. Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, called out the House for not voting on certain Senate bills in committee, leaving them to die. (Wilson, 3/7)
The Associated Press: Arkansas House Gives Final OK To Keeping Medicaid Expansion
Arkansas lawmakers voted Wednesday to keep the state's Medicaid expansion another year after federal officials said the state can require people on the program to work or volunteer to keep their coverage. The Arkansas House approved by a 79-15 vote the budget for the state's Medicaid program and the hybrid expansion, which uses federal and state funds to purchase private insurance for low-income residents. The measure needed at least 75 votes to pass. It now heads to Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson's desk. (DeMillo, 3/7)
Health News Florida: Hospital Agreement Ends Budget Standoff
Helping end a budget impasse, lawmakers have agreed to keep a current Medicaid payment formula for hospitals and to increase funding for nursing homes by $40 million, the Senate’s top health-care budget writer confirmed Wednesday afternoon. The agreement allowed the chambers to close out a roughly $87 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1. (Scolombini, 3/7)
Miami Herald: Legislature's Medicaid Decision Worth $58 Million To Jackson
Medicaid reimbursements for Florida hospitals will remain the same for another year after lawmakers reached a belated compromise on the healthcare budget, House and Senate leaders announced Wednesday. The agreement, which keeps additional payments for largely “safety net” hospitals with a higher Medicaid caseload and increases state money for nursing homes by $40 million, resolved the final points of contention that had kept the legislative session from ending on time. (Koh, 3/7)
Meanwhile, economists find that the U.S. is spending a lot of money on adults through such programs as Medicaid and Medicare, although studies show investments into childhood development pay off —
The Wall Street Journal: The Federal Government Spends A Lot More On The Elderly Than On Children. Should It?
The U.S. government spends far more on social programs for the elderly than it does on children, even though a growing body of research suggests investments in early childhood can have substantial long-term benefits for individuals and society, according to a new study. The federal government in 2015 spent roughly $35,000 per elderly person, much of it via Social Security and Medicare, and around $5,000 per child through programs like food stamps, Medicaid and tax credits, according to a paper to be presented Thursday at the Brookings Institution. Accounting for spending on public elementary and secondary schools—$11,222 per pupil in the most recent available data, mostly from state and local governments—narrows the gap, but doesn’t close it. (Leubsdorf, 3/8)
