Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Tennessee Has Been Hit Hard By Problems That Expanding Medicaid Might Help. So Why Has It Not?
Nashville Tennessean: Medicaid Expansion: Can 2018 Elections Help It Pass In Tennessee?
Flown in to Nashville Thursday from Washington, D.C., the panelists on stage at Vanderbilt's John Seigenthaler Center could offer statistics, economic projections and examples to support the benefit of states adopting Medicaid expansion. Roughly 300,000 uninsured adults in Tennessee — tens of thousands of whom are veterans — could be covered under TennCare, the state's Medicaid program. It would likely stem the tide of rural hospital closures, a phenomenon that has struck Tennessee harder than most states. (Allison, 6/29)
Portland Press Herald: Expanded Medicaid In Limbo On First Day That Mainers Can Apply For It
Maine is the only state with voters who have approved expanding Medicaid to low-income residents, but the start of expansion originally set for Monday is in limbo as a legal battle between the fiscally conservative governor and advocates continues. Last fall, nearly three out of five voters approved the expansion of Medicaid to cover an estimated 70,000 Mainers. It was the first time since former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act took effect four years ago that the expansion question has been put to voters. (7/1)
Des Moines Register: Iowa’s New Private Medicaid Company Has A Troubled Past
The corporation selected to help manage Iowa's controversial privatized Medicaid system has faced serious charges of mismanagement resulting in at least $23.6 million in penalties in more than a dozen states, a Des Moines Register investigation shows. Iowa Total Care, a subsidiary of Centene, was awarded a state Medicaid contract in May by the Iowa Department of Human Services despite scoring nearly 14 points lower on its evaluation than when it had applied and was rejected in 2015, public records show. (Clayworth, 7/1)
St. Louis Post Dispatch: Hospitals Warn Of Financial Fallout Over Missouri's Changes To Medicaid Managed Care Payments
Missouri is changing the terms for how health care providers are paid after caring for certain Medicaid recipients, a move some rural hospitals warn could lead to financial losses. If providers do not come in-network with the three insurance companies contracted by the state to provide coverage to certain Medicaid recipients, providers will be paid 10 percent less than they’re used to. The change went into effect Sunday. Providers sounded off at a public hearing last week in Jefferson City. The public meeting was held by the Department of Social Services, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program. (Liss, 7/2)
