Medicaid & the Uninsured: 092922

Centene Agrees to Pay Massachusetts $14 Million Over Medicaid Prescription Claims

Andy Miller and Samantha Young

Massachusetts is the latest state to settle with St. Louis-based Centene Corp. over allegations that it overcharged Medicaid prescription drug programs.

Shattered Dreams and Bills in the Millions: Losing a Baby in America

Lauren Weber

On top of fearing for their children’s lives, new parents of very fragile, very sick infants can face exorbitant hospital bills — even if they have insurance. Medical bills don’t go away if a child dies.

Health Plan Shake-Up Could Disrupt Coverage for Low-Income Californians

Bernard J. Wolfson

Four managed-care insurance plans may lose contracts with California’s Medicaid program, which would force nearly 2 million low-income residents to switch their health plans — and possibly their doctors. The plans are fighting back.

Hospitals Divert Primary Care Patients to Health Center ‘Look-Alikes’ to Boost Finances

Phil Galewitz

Medicare and Medicaid pay “look-alike” health centers significantly more than hospitals for treating patients, and converting or creating clinics can help hospitals reduce their expenses.

A Disability Program Promised to Lift People From Poverty. Instead, It Left Many Homeless.

Fred Clasen-Kelly

A federal disability program meant to provide basic income for people unable to work has left many of its recipients homeless. Advocates for the poor say the crisis is growing worse as rents rise and Congress decides whether to make changes to the program that would affect millions of people.

Centene to Pay $166 Million to Texas in Medicaid Drug Pricing Settlement

Andy Miller and Samantha Young

Texas is at least the 12th state to settle with St. Louis-based Centene Corp. over allegations that it overcharged Medicaid prescription drug programs.

Montana Health Department Seeks to Ax Board That Hears Public Assistance Appeals

Matt Volz

Applicants for cash, food, and health care assistance would need to go to court to appeal rejections if the Montana legislature approves a proposal to eliminate the Board of Public Assistance.

Impending Hospital Closure Rattles Atlanta Health Care Landscape and Political Races

Sam Whitehead and Andy Miller

The nonprofit owners of Atlanta Medical Center, a 460-bed Level 1 trauma center in the heart of the city, plan to close the hospital in November. As many community members worry about the hole the closure will leave in the city’s safety net, the news has thrust health care into the political spotlight less than two months before Election Day.

‘It’s Becoming Too Expensive to Live’: Anxious Older Adults Try to Cope With Limited Budgets

Judith Graham

Three women explain how life’s surprises can catapult their efforts to carefully manage limited budgets and lead to financial distress.

Los hospitales derivan pacientes de atención primaria a centros de salud “semejantes” para mejorar las finanzas

Phil Galewitz and Heidi de Marco

Pero, a diferencia de los centros de salud comunitarios, los semejantes no reciben una subvención federal anual para cubrir los costos operativos. Tampoco obtienen la cobertura económica del gobierno federal para casos de negligencia médica.