Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Paperwork Backlog Prevents Some Los Angeles Residents From Renewing Medicaid Coverage
Los Angeles Times: 'I’m Running Out Of Medicine.' Paperwork Backlog Costs Some Their Medi-Cal Coverage
Thaddeus Moncrief has gone for months without three medicines he takes to control his high blood pressure. He also stopped leaving his home in Lancaster because he’s running dangerously low on catheters he uses with his wheelchair. ... Moncrief is one of many Los Angeles County residents who say they were wrongly dropped from Medi-Cal, the state’s healthcare program for low-income and disabled Californians, and have struggled to regain coverage and see their doctors. The patients say they turned in their renewal paperwork on time to the county, but lost coverage anyway. (Karlamangla, 12/20)
CQ Rollcall: Report Urges Medicaid, Health Care Fixes For Puerto Rico
A congressional task force on Puerto Rico issued a report Tuesday recommending legislation in 2017 to address an impending Medicaid “cliff” on the island and that the territory should be treated in a more equitable fashion when it comes to how the federal government pays for health care programs. The recommendations from what is known as the Congressional Task Force on Economic Growth in Puerto Rico also include changes to tax laws and economic measures intended to prime the flagging island’s fortunes. The report’s authors also note that many of the recommendations could apply to other U.S. territories. (Miller, 12/20)
Tampa Bay Times: Negron: Senators Working On New Medicaid 'Framework' That Could Expand Coverage
The Florida Senate is starting to consider a new Medicaid system it could put into place if Congress gave the state a block grant and freedom to run the program with limited federal involvement, Senate President Joe Negron said Tuesday. It's a change Negron, R-Stuart, said he hopes could expand health coverage to more than half a million Floridians caught in the "coverage gap" -- people who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford health insurance of their own. (Auslen, 12/20)
Denver Post: Evergreen Fire Looks Into House Calls, Fall Prevention And More Community Paramedicine
When Evergreen Fire Protection District asked voters for a tax increase this year, one of the main reasons it cited was a decline in revenue caused by the increase in Medicare and Medicaid patients whose coverage pays less for rides to the emergency room. More than half of Evergreen’s fire and EMS calls are medical-related, and the nearest ER is St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, about 20 miles away. So in anticipation of the increased funds, which voters approved with a 3.5 mill increase, the agencies budgeted for a plan aimed at lowering the number of rides they give to the emergency room. (Klemaier, 12/20)
