Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Seasonal Jobs Are Baked Into Fabric Of Montana's Economy. So What Happens If Medicaid Work Requirements Are Implemented?
NPR: Proposed Work Requirements For Medicaid In Montana Worry Seasonal Workers
People on Medicaid who work rural seasonal jobs in Montana are wondering about the future of their access to health coverage. Montana recently passed a law that, if it gains federal approval and goes into effect as planned in January, would require many Medicaid recipients to prove they work a set number of hours each month. Kate Clyatt is one of those seasonal workers. She's 28 and works as a ranch hand in the unincorporated community of Helmville, Mont., where there's a saloon, rodeo grounds, two churches, a K-8 public school and a post office. In the sweeping ranchland surrounded by mountains, there are also a lot of cows. (Cates-Carney, 11/3)
North Carolina Health News: In Medicaid Transformation, Questions Persist
As the state health department races to roll out an ambitious plan that would tie Medicaid payments to patient health outcomes, at least one regional provider has expressed concerns about the implication of the so-called transformation. The state health department plans to move 1.6 million Medicaid recipients to the pay-for-value system on Feb. 1, but a protracted budget dispute between Gov. Roy Cooper and the General Assembly, largely over Medicaid expansion, may delay that timeline. At a meeting earlier this month, lawmakers said a July 1 start date may be more feasible even as Health and Human Services Sec. Mandy Cohen warned that such a delay would be costly. (Engel-Smith, 11/4)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Kemp Plan Could Lead To Limited Expansion Of Medicaid In Georgia
After months of planning and fraught political debate, Gov. Brian Kemp is set to detail a proposal that may pave the way for a limited Medicaid expansion that could add thousands of residents to the state’s rolls. The governor has long ruled out a full expansion of the state’s Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act, something he campaigned against during the 2018 race. (Bluestein and Hart, 11/2)
Kaiser Health News: Return To Sender: A Single Undeliverable Letter Can Mean Losing Medicaid
Forty-two boxes of returned mail lined a wall of the El Paso County Department of Human Services office on a recent fall morning. There used to be three times as many. Every week, the U.S. Postal Service brings anywhere from four to 15 trays to the office, each containing more than 250 letters that it could not deliver to county residents enrolled in Medicaid or other public assistance programs. This plays out the same way in counties across the state. Colorado estimates about 15% of the 12 million letters from public assistance programs to 1.3 million members statewide are returned — some 1.8 million pieces of undelivered mail each year. (Hawryluk, 11/4)
Boston Globe: State Ballot Initiative Would Boost Funding For Financially Ailing Nursing Homes
A new group called the Massachusetts Senior Coalition said it has collected about 122,000 signatures across the state to force a referendum next year on a proposal to substantially boost Medicaid funding for the state’s financially struggling nursing homes. The state budget approved by lawmakers in July bumped up nursing home funding from MassHealth, the state Medicaid program, by $50 million, to a total of $415.4 million. (Weisman, 11/3)
