Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Va. Governor Presses Lawmakers One Last Time To Expand Medicaid
The Washington Post: McAuliffe Takes One More Swing At Medicaid Expansion In Final State Budget
Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) took one final swing at expanding Medicaid in the state budget he presented to lawmakers Monday, a two-year spending plan that also gives Republicans one of their most cherished goals: full funding of the state’s rainy-day reserves. McAuliffe based the budget of $115.9 billion on the premise that the state would accept federal money to expand Medicaid — something that Republicans have repeatedly resisted despite the fact that polls show strong support among Virginians. (Schneider, 12/18)
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Gov. Terry McAuliffe Builds Two-Year Budget Around Medicaid Expansion
Gov. Terry McAuliffe is counting on a changed political dynamic in Richmond and Washington to prevail in his final, parting attempt to expand Virginia’s Medicaid program. Medicaid expansion lies at the center of the two-year budget McAuliffe proposed to the General Assembly’s money committees Monday, with an estimated $421.7 million in state savings that depends on a new assessment that hospitals would pay to cover Virginia’s share of the cost of extending health care coverage to about 300,000 uninsured Virginians. (Martz, 12/18)
The Associated Press: McAuliffe’s Budget Again Calls For Medicaid Expansion
Republican legislative leaders said they would review the proposal and are committed to developing a balanced budget, one they said likely wouldn’t expand Medicaid the way McAuliffe envisions. (Rankin, 12/18)
The Washington Post: Democrats In Virginia And Across The Country Riled Up By Northam's Remarks About Medicaid Expansion
Don’t think Virginia’s upcoming General Assembly session is going to be a lively affair? Then check social media feeds from the weekend. Democrats riding high on their big Virginia election victories last month spent much of Sunday slamming their own incoming governor, Ralph Northam, for comments he made about bipartisanship and Medicaid. (Schneider, 12/18)
Des Moines Register: Iowa Medicaid Choice Should Resume By Spring, Leaders Say
Within a few months, Iowans on Medicaid should once again have a choice of management companies to oversee their benefits, top administrators told legislators Monday. Iowans coming on to Medicaid now have just one choice of management companies, UnitedHealthcare. The situation violates one of the fundamental selling points of Iowa’s controversial decision to have a privately run Medicaid system: Members were supposed to choose from managed care organizations that competed for their business by providing good service. (Leys, 12/18)
Iowa Public Radio: Hundreds Denied Medicaid Services Under Privatization; Lawmakers Object
State legislators of both parties Monday grilled representatives of the for-profit companies who manage Iowa’s health care program for the poor and disabled, after a report was released about how many patients are losing health care services. The director of the Managed Care Ombudsman Program presented the report to the legislature’s Health Policy Oversight Committee. (Russell, 12/18)
Omaha World-Herald: Senators Press Nebraska's Medicaid Director About Ongoing Problems With Managed Care System
Nebraska lawmakers raised concerns Monday about continuing problems with the state’s nearly year-old system for managing Medicaid services. Members of the Health and Human Services Committee quizzed the state’s interim Medicaid director about unpaid claims and balky authorization processes that have frustrated health care providers and delayed care for patients. (Stoddard, 12/19)
