Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Virginia Democrats Walk Back From 'Nuclear' Threat As State Senate Delays Medicaid Expansion Debate
The Associated Press: Virginia Lawmakers Put Off Budget, Medicaid Debate
Virginia senators put off debate Tuesday on the state budget and whether to expand Medicaid, but pledged to settle the issue next week. Senate Republican Majority Leader Tommy Norment said he expects the upper chamber to pass a budget next week, and it is likely to include Medicaid expansion. “I think there’s a probability it will pass. The question is: In what form?” Norment said. (Suderman, 5/22)
The Washington Post: Va. Senate Puts Off Medicaid Vote With Democrats Unable To Pull Off 'Nuclear' Move
The Senate will return in a week, a delay billed as a way to give senators more time to study the latest Medicaid expansion plan, which was announced the day before by a key GOP senator and the House’s budget chief. “A last-ditch obstructionist effort,” state Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Fairfax) called the development. In a rare outburst from the Senate gallery, two women shouted. “People are dying!” one of them called out. “Do your job!” The delay came with a change in tone from Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James City), who for the first time publicly acknowledged that expansion is likely to pass the Senate. The House has already backed it. (Vozzella, 5/22)
In other Medicaid news —
Politico Pro: Trump Spending Cuts Allowed To Target Kids’ Health Insurance
The Government Accountability Office on Tuesday delivered a victory to the Trump administration by greenlighting a proposal to claw back more than $7 billion in unused cash from the Children’s Health Insurance Program. In a report sent to congressional offices Tuesday morning, the GAO approved the vast majority of the administration’s $15.3 billion plan to cancel spending. (Ferris, 5/22)
Des Moines Register: Iowa Senator Demands Audit Of Medicaid Privatization Savings
Iowa’s state auditor should investigate how much the controversial shift to private Medicaid management is saving taxpayers, a legislator said Tuesday. Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, asked Auditor Mary Mosiman for the investigation Tuesday, after the Department of Human Services abruptly tripled its estimate of the savings last week without explanation. The controversy involves hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on private companies now running Iowa's $5 billion Medicaid program. (Leys, 5/22)
