Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
States Seek Ways To Allow Seniors To Stay In Their Homes, Avoid Nursing Homes
Stateline: Money, Personal Preferences Push States On Long-Term Care
Facing a wave of aging baby boomers, many states are trying to make it easier for frail seniors to stay in their homes — as many prefer — instead of moving into more costly nursing homes. States have a huge stake in where aging seniors and disabled people end up getting long-term care because many of them won’t be able to afford to pay for their care and will have to rely on Medicaid, the health care program for the poor and disabled. Each state has its own Medicaid program, funded jointly by the state and the federal government. (Bergal, 7/18)
The Des Moines Register: Medicaid Managers Are Slow To Pay Bills, Agencies Say
Iowa’s shift to private management of its Medicaid program continues to spark complaints, especially from agencies that provide services to the 560,000 Iowans covered by the public insurance. Many agency leaders say they’re going into debt because many of their bills continue to be rejected for trivial or unclear reasons, more than three months after private firms took control of Iowa’s Medicaid program. (Leys, 7/17)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Sherrod Brown Urges Medicaid To Fix System That Leaves Millions Of Kids Untested For Lead Poisoning
Sen. Sherrod Brown is calling for new measures to bolster chronically low lead poisoning testing rates in Ohio and nationwide. In a letter to the head of the federal agency that provides health insurance to the needy, Brown and Democratic senators from two other states today asked to increase screening levels and improve the response when tests show a child has been poisoned. Hundreds of thousands of children under the age of six are poisoned by lead each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Dissell and Zeltner, 7/15)
The CT Mirror: With Two Weeks Left, Medicaid Transition Reaches 26 Percent
Over the last two weeks, Connecticut’s health insurance exchange has helped another 1,400 low-income individuals transition from their state-sponsored Medicaid plans as they prepare to lose them after July 31. State lawmakers approved legislation two years ago that would make eligibility levels more stringent for parents and caregivers on HUSKY A, which is the state-sponsored Medicaid program for low-income children, parents and caregivers. The change in the eligibility level will cause about 14,000 parents and caregivers to lose coverage at the end of July. (Constable, 7/15)
The Charlotte Observer: Leader Of $10 Million Medicaid Fraud In Charlotte Found Guilty
A Charlotte woman who prosecutors say was the leader of a $10 million Medicaid fraud scheme was convicted in federal court Friday. Cynthia Teresa Harlan, 48, was found guilty of one count of health care fraud conspiracy, three counts of making false statements relating to heath care matters, three counts of aggravated identity theft and one count of obstruction of a health care fraud investigation, said U.S. Attorney Jill Rose. (Stone, 7/15)
