Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Red States Warming Up To Medicaid Expansion With Promises Of Work Requirements
The Wall Street Journal: Medicaid Expansion Gains Popularity In Red States
The push to expand Medicaid is gaining traction in some Republican states that previously rejected the idea, thanks to grass-roots efforts to let voters weigh in directly on the issue and recent changes in the program that make it more friendly to conservatives. States including Idaho, Utah, Nebraska, and North Carolina are weighing expanding their programs, and the debate is also playing a central role in the midterm contests in Florida, Georgia, and Kansas. All were won by President Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Traditional Medicaid typically covers such groups as low-income families who qualify for Social Security and pregnant women and children meeting income requirements. Medicaid expansion, part of the Affordable Care Act, enables states to cover more low-income adults up to age 65. (Armour, 6/14)
Detroit Free Press: Medicaid Work Requirements In Michigan: What You Should Know
From a lawsuit that could stop Michigan’s new Medicaid work requirement dead in its tracks as soon as Friday to reports that the percentage of people not already in compliance may be far smaller than estimates, any analyses and predictions should be taken in stride. And while there’s no doubt that some people could struggle under the new requirement, there are other indications that without it, some states might roll back coverage altogether that has been extended in recent years to include hundreds of thousands of more low-income people. (Spangler, 6/14)
Modern Healthcare: Tennessee Seeks Medicaid Carve-Out For Abortion Providers
Tennessee wants federal permission to exclude abortion providers from its Medicaid networks. The state posted a waiver request Wednesday to exclude providers that performed, operated or maintained a facility that performed more than 50 abortions in the previous year from its Medicaid program, known as TennCare. (Dickson, 6/14)
Iowa Public Radio: Iowa Medicaid Director Estimates Privatization Savings, Questions Remain
Iowa’s Medicaid director Wednesday told the Council on Human Services the state’s privatized Medicaid program is saving money for taxpayers, but his explanation left questions unanswered. Medicaid Director Mike Randol said the state is projected to save $140.9 million in the fiscal year that ends June 30, compared to what the state would have spent before its health care program for low income and disabled people was turned over to for-profit companies. (Sostaric, 6/13)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Medicaid Work Requirements Put 52,000 In Cuyahoga County At Risk For Losing Healthcare Coverage, Researchers Say
Proposed work requirements on Medicaid expansion enrollees could affect more than 300,000 people in Ohio, including nearly 52,000 in Cuyahoga County, according to new research from Policy Matters Ohio, a left-leaning think tank. ...A requirement to force recipients to work highlights a debate between if Medicaid should be a temporary welfare program for those facing stints of unemployment or a means to provide long-term healthcare coverage to the country's most vulnerable. (Christ, 6/14)
Boston Globe: State Medicaid Program Halts Payments To Lawrence Clinic Over Fraud Allegations
The state Medicaid program has suspended payments to a Lawrence counseling clinic that is accused of fraud for allowing unlicensed and unsupervised therapists to treat patients. The agency told Arbour Counseling Services in a letter June 6 that it would stop paying its center in Lawrence because of “credible allegations of fraud.’’ (Kowalczyk, 6/14)
Kaiser Health News: As Medicaid Costs Soar, States Try A New Approach
Sandy Dowland has been to the emergency room 10 times in the past year and was hospitalized during four of those visits. She has had a toe amputated and suffers from uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure, major depression, obesity and back pain. But her health is not high on the 41-year-old woman’s priority list. “I have a lot going on,” said the unemployed mother of five who lives in a homeless shelter. She said it’s a struggle just to get herself and children through each day. (Galewitz, 6/15)
Kaiser Health News: Most Texans Want State To Expand Medicaid And Help Poor Get Health Care
Texans think the Legislature should expand Medicaid to more low-income people and make health care more affordable, according to a survey released Thursday. Researchers surveyed 1,367 Texans between March and May of this year about topics ranging from Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, maternal mortality and the role of government in tackling health care issues. (Lopez, 6/14)
