Va. Says It Will Lose $1.4B In Senate’s Medicaid Plan; Iowa Nursing Homes Also Raise Alarms
Around the country, Medicaid stakeholders are speaking out about how a reduction in federal funding for Medicaid under the Senate plan would play out in the states.
The Associated Press:
Analysis: Senate Bill Worse For Virginia’s Medicaid Program
An analysis of the Senate health care bill shows its changes to the way Medicaid is funded would cost Virginia’s program at least $1.4 billion over seven years. The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services released the estimate Monday. It says the Senate bill would cost Virginia almost double what the House version would from 2020 to 2026. (6/26)
Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Virginia Medicaid Program Estimates $1.4 Billion Hit From Senate Health Care Bill Over Seven Years
The estimate the Department of Medical Assistance Services released on Monday is double the projected effect on Virginia’s Medicaid program of health care legislation the U.S. House of Representatives adopted on May 4. The difference reflects a lower annual growth rate than the Senate proposal, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, assumes in federal spending on Medicaid under a proposed system of per-capita caps. (Martz, 6/26)
Des Moines Register:
Senate Health Bill Could Lead To Shuttered Iowa Nursing Homes, Industry Leaders Warn
The U.S. Senate’s proposal to rein in the Affordable Care Act could devastate Iowa nursing homes and hospitals, industry leaders are warning Iowa’s senators. Nursing homes could be particularly vulnerable to deep Medicaid cuts the bill would bring, said Steve Ackerson, president of the Iowa Health Care Association. More than half of all residents in Iowa nursing homes are covered by Medicaid, which pays an average of about $172 per day. On average, the nursing homes lose $26 per day on each of those residents, said Ackerson, whose association represents the industry. (Leys, 6/26)
CQ Roll Call:
Schools Fear Losing Funding Under GOP Health Care Bill
Education advocates and school superintendents are petitioning lawmakers to reject a draft Republican health care bill that they say could reduce services to students with disabilities. Schools providing students medical services such as specialized equipment or speech therapists have been able to have eligible expenses reimbursed through Medicaid since 1988, so long as the student is signed up for the program. Annually, schools receive about $3 billion through reimbursements, according the National Alliance for Medicaid in Education. (Wilkins, 6/26)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Cincinnati Hospitals Tell Workers: Speak Out Against ACA Repeal
Local hospital officials are watching with trepidation as the U.S. Senate works on its bill that would repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act. Their concern: If thousands of Medicaid patients across Greater Cincinnati get thrown off the government health plan, hospital spending on millions of dollars of uncompensated care will explode and put renewed stress on budgets. (Saker and Tucker, 6/26)
Cleveland Plain Dealer:
New Ohio Ad Campaign Asks Conservatives To Support Medicaid Funding
The Association for Community Affiliated Plans announced it plans to start airing 30-second cable TV ads in Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati starting Tuesday through July 11. The group, which represents Medicaid-managed health plans for the poor and other public health programs, also will run online ads statewide asking Ohioans to urge Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman not to cut Medicaid. (Pelzer, 6/26)
Houston Chronicle:
Texas Hospitals Could Lose Billions Of Dollars Under GOP Health Plan
Texas hospitals stand to lose billions under the Republican-backed health plan, as federal Medicaid dollars shrink, leading to a rise in uncompensated care, according to a new analysis by the Commonwealth Fund, a national health policy foundation. The study looked only at the U.S. House plan passed last month. It has not yet examined the impact of the U.S. Senate's version unveiled late last week, which experts have predicted will bring even deeper cuts to Medicaid. (Deam, 6/26)
Health News Florida:
Castor: Medicaid Changes Could Cause Rate Increases For Everyone
Changes to Medicaid in Republican proposals for health care reform could cause insurance rates to go up for everyone, according to Rep. Kathy Castor. That’s because millions would lose health insurance, said Castor, a Tampa Democrat who spoke out against the changes Monday at the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Tampa. (Ochoa, 6/26)
Georgia Health News:
Medicaid Recipients With Disabilities Face Funding Cuts Under GOP Bills
Overall, people with disabilities and seniors make up 25 percent of Medicaid enrollees in Georgia, and account for about 60 percent of the program’s costs. ... This includes two waiver programs that provide home- and community-based services for about 12,500 Georgians with intellectual or developmental disabilities. (Miller, 6/26)
Nashville Tennessean:
Advocates: Child Abuse Victims Will Suffer Under Senate Health Bill
Abused and neglected children in Tennessee will suffer from Medicaid cuts proposed under the Senate health care bill, warned state child welfare advocates on Monday, painting a potentially dire picture of victims without access to treatment and a deepening of an opioid crisis that has pushed more kids into foster care because they lack a functioning parent. TennCare, the state's version of Medicaid, is the principal provider of medical, mental health and special-needs services for about 8,000 kids in foster care, most as a result of abuse or neglect. (Wadhwani, 6/26)
