Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Over 4,300 Kicked Off Arkansas' Medicaid Rolls After Failing To Report Work Hours Under New Requirements
The Associated Press: Arkansas Drops 4,300 From Medicaid Plan Over New Work Rules
Arkansas officials said Wednesday they've removed more than 4,300 people from the state's expanded Medicaid program who didn't meet a work requirement, making them the first in the nation to be kicked off Medicaid under a rule mandating they work to keep coverage. The Arkansas Department of Human Services also said another 5,000 people on the program will lose coverage if they don't meet the work requirement by the end of this month. Of the more than 62,000 people who were subject to the requirement last month, officials said the majority either met the requirement or were otherwise exempt. (DeMillo, 9/12)
The Washington Post: More Than 4,300 Arkansas Residents Lose Medicaid Under Work Requirements
Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) announced Wednesday that 4,353 people have become ineligible for Medicaid, out of an initial group of nearly 26,000 who became subject to the requirements this spring. “I don’t like that number,” Hutchinson said of the residents who were removed. But, noting that 1,000 people in the overall program have found employment, he called the requirement “a proper balance of those values that we hold important,” including work and personal responsibility. (Goldstein, 9/12)
Arkansas Times: Governor Defends Work Rule For Medicaid
Hutchinson emphasized the positive, more than 40,000 remaining eligible because of jobs, exemptions or other reasons. But the state figures note that only 1,200 actually satisfied the reporting requirement and a total of 16,000 have lost or in peril of losing coverage for lack of reporting. Hutchinson's news conference followed one by Democratic challenger Jared Henderson criticizing the state's handling of the issue. He said Hutchinson is more interested in reducing spending on Medicaid. (Brantley, 9/12)
Modern Healthcare: Arkansas Cuts 4,300 Off Medicaid Under New Work Requirements
Nearly 280,000 people are enrolled in Arkansas' Medicaid expansion program, called Arkansas Works, which has helped cut the state's uninsured rate nearly in half. Beneficiaries must report that they were either meeting the requirement or that they qualified for an exemption, such as a disability, through an online portal run by the state Department of Human Services. There is no option for reporting by phone, mail, or in person. The work and community engagement requirements will be extended in January to people from ages 19 to 29. (Meyer, 9/12)
The Hill: Arkansas Scraps Medicaid Coverage For Thousands Of Individuals
The state's Department of Human Services said it conducted outreach from April through August to let beneficiaries know about the new requirements. But "some simply chose not to comply. Those are the ones who will lose their Arkansas Works coverage for the remainder of 2018," Hutchinson said. (Hellmann, 9/12)
Bloomberg: Trump’s Medicaid Work Rules Cause First Terminations In Arkansas
People subject to the rules have to report 80 hours a month of work or other activity such as job training, education, or volunteering. If they’re out of compliance for three months out of the year, their coverage is revoked for the rest of the year. The change will save the state about $30 million, Hutchinson estimated. (Tozzi, 9/12)
And in other Medicaid news —
The Associated Press: Nebraska's Top Court: Voters To Decide On Expanding Medicaid
Nebraska's highest court dismissed a lawsuit Wednesday that would have stripped a Medicaid expansion proposal off the November ballot, clearing the way for voters to decide a measure that has been repeatedly rejected by the Republican-dominated Legislature. The Nebraska Supreme Court's rejection of a GOP-led lawsuit was a victory for advocates who say the measure would help an estimated 90,000 low-income residents get covered under the Affordable Care Act. (Schulte, 9/12)
The CT Mirror: Medicaid Transportation Contractor Improving, But Complaints Continue
Veyo has made some marked improvements in recent months, but the company hired to oversee the transportation of Medicaid patients continues to be criticized for its performance and has been fined several times by the state for contract violations. The San Diego-based company took over operations of the state’s non-emergency medical transportation program (NEMT) in January. (Rigg, 9/12)
