Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Questions Raised About Whether GOP Steps To Moderate Medicaid Cuts Provide Enough Money
The Hill: Study: Adding $200 Billion To Health Bill Not Enough
A new study says adding $200 billion to the Senate ObamaCare replacement bill would not be enough to fund private coverage for people who would lose insurance because of a halted Medicaid expansion. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma has been pitching undecided moderate Republican senators on a "Medicaid wraparound" that would provide funds to help people who were on Medicaid afford private coverage. (Sullivan, 7/24)
The Washington Post: The GOP Plan To Protect Medicaid Recipients Could Run Out Of Money After 2 Years
The report, from the nonpartisan Urban Institute, estimates that $200 billion would cover additional benefits for this group for only a couple of years. After that, they would have to choose between buying costly private insurance with hefty deductibles or going without coverage. Republicans might have trouble coming up with more money to extend those benefits. (Ehrenfreund, 7/25)
The Hill: Thune: Progress Being Made On Medicaid 'Wraparound'
Sen. John Thune (R-N.D.), a member of GOP leadership, said progress is being made on a change to the GOP health bill that could unlock the support of key moderates. The Medicaid "wraparound" would allow some states to use additional funds to help low-income people who are likely to lose Medicaid coverage afford the premiums and deductibles for private insurance. (Hellmann, 7/24)
Denver Post: Medicaid Funding In Colorado Would Drop $9 Billion Under Senate Plan
A new report finds that Colorado could lose out on more than $9 billion in federal funding for Medicaid over the first decade of a proposal the U.S. Senate is expected to bring up for a key vote Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has vowed to hold a vote Tuesday on whether to begin debating a repeal of the Affordable Care Act — the health care measure that expanded Medicaid access to people slightly above the poverty line and that is also known as Obamacare. If that passes, the Senate would launch into debates on a variety of proposals for how to repeal the ACA, though it remains unclear exactly what they will be voting on. (Ingold, 7/24)
The Star Tribune: States That Expanded Medicaid Saw Drop In Medical Debt, U Study Finds
The federal health law's Medicaid expansion delivered a degree of economic stability to low-income Americans in states that adopted the program, according to a new report from University of Minnesota researchers. Low-income residents in states like Minnesota that expanded eligibility for Medicaid coverage saw a bigger decline in unpaid medical bills between 2012 and 2015 than people living in states that didn't expand coverage, according to the study published in a blog by the journal Health Affairs. (Snowbeck, 7/24)
In state Medicaid news —
Salt Lake Tribune: More Than 200 Utahns Weigh In On State’s Small-Scale Medicaid Expansion Plan
Utah is poised to ask the Trump administration's approval for its plan to extend Medicaid coverage to about 6,000 of the state's neediest childless adults, many of them chronically homeless or in need of mental health or drug addiction treatment. State health department officials say they are a week away from submitting the plan, after receiving more than 230 public comments on details of their Medicaid expansion proposal. (Stuckey, 7/25)
Helena (Mont.) Independent Record: Medicaid Providers Say State Health Department Putting Unfair Share Of Cuts On Them
In an attempt to adapt to significant budget cuts, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services is proposing to reduce reimbursements to doctors and others who treat patients on Medicaid by nearly 3.5 percent. Providers say that cut is too severe and an unfair way for the department to put the burden of belt-tightening disproportionately on them. (Michels, 7/24)
NPR: Centers That Counsel Women Against Abortion Help Them Enroll In Medicaid
When Taylor Merendo moved to Bloomington, Ind., nearly two years ago, fleeing an abusive marriage, she needed help. "I was six months pregnant and at that point in time, I really didn't have a stable place to live," Merendo says. That's where the Hannah Center in Bloomington stepped in. It's what's known as a crisis pregnancy center, where women are counseled against abortion and often get support after their babies are born. (McCammon, 7/24)
