Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Virginia Lawmakers Optimistic About Medicaid Expansion Negotiations
Politico Pro: Pulse Check: Virginia Closes In On Medicaid Expansion
State lawmakers are hammering out legislation that could make Virginia the 33rd state to expand Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act, a top statehouse Democrat told POLITICO’s “Pulse Check” podcast. ...The House approved Medicaid expansion in February after 20 Republicans joined all 49 Democrats to pass the chamber’s budget. But the state Senate's version didn’t include expansion. (Diamond, 4/12)
Modern Healthcare: Pennsylvania Court Gives UnitedHealth Hope In Medicaid Battle With Centene
A panel of Pennsylvania judges ruled in favor of UnitedHealth Group, deciding that state officials wrongly met with Centene Corp. executives as they deliberated which insurance companies would receive some of the state's $12 billion in Medicaid contracts. The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court's ruling reverses the Department of Human Services' decision last June to throw out UnitedHealthcare of Pennsylvania's challenges to its selection process for Medicaid contracts. UnitedHealthcare protested the department's decision after it was not among the insurers selected to manage care under the HealthChoices Program, which covers physical health services for Medicare beneficiaries across the state. A Centene Medicaid provider was among the insurers selected for contracts. (Bannow, 4/12)
The Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Medicaid Work Requirement: Twisting Arms Or A Leg-Up?
Officials expect 5,000 Mississippians, mostly low-income mothers, to fall off the Medicaid rolls every year for the next five years under the state's proposed job training program. The Mississippi Division of Medicaid applied for a federal waiver to implement a work requirement on over 50,000 low-income parents or caretakers on Medicaid, many of whom will be exempt from the requirement. The state is awaiting a decision from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on the proposal, first submitted in October. (Wolfe, 4/12)
