Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sharp Public Criticism Prompts Tennessee To Revise Medicaid Block Grant Plan
Nashville Tennessean: TennCare's Revised Block Grant Plan: The Feds Get It Before Public
State officials will make some revisions to a plan to overhaul TennCare after sharp criticism at public hearings this month, but the public won't find out what those changes are until after the plan is in the hands of the federal government. TennCare spokeswoman Sarah Tanksley said Monday the agency will not release its revised plan for a Medicaid block grant until the day the proposal is submitted to the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS. (Kelman, 10/28)
Health News Florida: Splitting Up Florida's Medicaid Patients Could Spark Debate
An algorithm that dictates assignment of many Medicaid patients to health plans could cause another high-stakes tussle among plans that have received an estimated $90 billion worth of contracts to manage care in Florida’s Medicaid program. The state Agency for Health Care Administration submitted a report this month outlining options the Legislature could consider to make the process more “equitable” for health plans. (Sexton, 10/28)
Arizona Capitol Times: Health Centers Sue AZ Medicaid Program For Unpaid Services
A group of community health centers is suing the state for failing to pay them for the cost of providing certain services to low-income individuals who are uninsured. The lawsuit filed Monday in federal court says the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program, is required to reimburse “federally qualified health centers” for the costs of all services provided. That, the lawsuit says, includes not just care provided by doctors but also services furnished by dentists, podiatrists, optometrists and chiropractors. (Fischer, 10/28)
