Some GOP Governors Press Congress To Consider Keeping Medicaid Expansion
But lawmakers appear determined to rein in Medicaid as part of the overhaul of the federal health law. News outlets also report on Medicaid developments in Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Missouri and New Jersey.
Modern Healthcare:
GOP Governors Fight Uphill Battle To Save Medicaid Expansion
An effort by Republican governors in Medicaid expansion states to show the expansion is worth keeping is unlikely to influence congressional Republicans in their drive to repeal the Affordable Care Act and its expansion of coverage to low-income adults, Republican experts say. Instead, congressional Republicans are expected to push ahead to repeal the Medicaid expansion and convert Medicaid from an entitlement to a capped program of federal contributions to the states, said Jon Gilmore, a Republican strategist in Arkansas. ... But Medicaid expansion advocates hope the governors' lobbying will cause congressional Republicans to think twice before wiping out the coverage extension that has brought billions of federal dollars into their states. (Dickson, 1/7)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Georgians Overwhelmingly Support Medicaid Expansion
A majority of Georgians support expanding Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of poor, uninsured residents, a new poll by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows. Seventy-five percent of people surveyed -- including 57 percent of Republicans -- said they support growing the health program for the poor, according to poll data. (Williams, 1/7)
The Associated Press:
N. Carolina Gov Formally Begins Medicaid Expansion Pursuit
North Carolina's new Democratic governor has formally started his effort to expand Medicaid to more of the working poor in the state, even as Republicans in Washington bear down on repealing the federal health care law that offers this increased coverage. (1/6)
Richmond Times Dispatch:
New, Old Health Care Issues To Be Taken Up By Lawmakers
House of Delegates Republicans have put forward a series of legislative proposals they see as more efficient alternatives to expanding Medicaid in Virginia under the Affordable Care Act. The legislation includes a provision to reform the state’s existing Medicaid program by mitigating the risk of improper payments, improving the state’s cap on managed care organizations’ profits, and incentivize those organizations to serve more patients in lower- cost settings. (Demeria, 1/7)
KCUR:
Nixon Pardons Ministers Who Protested Missouri’s Decision Not To Expand Medicaid
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon today granted pardons to 18 individuals, including 16 clergy members and activists who were convicted of trespassing after they staged a protest in the Missouri Senate gallery over Missouri’s decision not to expand Medicaid. The so-called Medicaid 23 – several of them well-known African-American ministers from Kansas City – refused to leave the gallery during their protest in May 2014 after they were ordered to do so by Capitol police. (Margolies, 1/6)
The Press of Atlantic City:
Program Aims To Bring Specialized Care To More Patients
Physicians and other medical experts in New Jersey are teaming up to bring more specialized care to people living in rural areas, on Medicaid and who lack comprehensive health insurance coverage. Robert Wood Johnson Partners launched the New Jersey Project ECHO Academic Medical Center Hub in fall 2016 with three remote-access "tele-mentoring" clinics. The program has picked up speed as participating primary care physicians and specialists work in hepatitis C treatment, pediatric mental health and endocrinology. (Leonard, 1/7)
