Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Jury Is Still Out On Medicaid Managed Care
While a growing number of states are contracting with managed care companies to manage their Medicaid programs, there are still questions about cost savings and quality.
Missouri’s Declining Medicaid Caseload Stands Out In National Report
Critics contend the state is making it harder for people to enroll or renew their coverage.
Adult Foster Care Aid May Be At Risk, Advocates Say
Among those who are worried are agencies that provide adult foster care for people who can’t live on their own, because of severe mental illness or developmental disabilities.
States Consider Using Medicaid To Pay College Health Plan Premiums
Advocates say that the option will provide more flexibility for students who are eligible for the state-federal health program for low-income people.
Safety Net Hospitals Already Seeing More Paying Patients – And Revenue
Many inner-city hospitals in Medicaid-expansion states report big drops in the number of uninsured people for whom they provide care.
The Politics Of Health In 2014 Aren’t What You Think
Some embattled Democrats see Medicaid expansion as a winning issue.
Leaving Jail Doesn’t Have To Mean Losing Health Care
California is among 25 states to open Medicaid to childless adults, including thousands of ex-offenders. Covering this group is expected to save money and perhaps reduce recidivism.
By The Numbers: Mental Illness Behind Bars
There are now three times more people with serious mental illness incarcerated in the United States than in hospitals, and the types of behavioral and mental health problems among inmates are becoming more severe.
Pennsylvania’s Medicaid Expansion To Require 723 New Workers
The number of state workers needed to expand the federal-state health care program for poorer Americans is far higher than most states have needed — typically in the dozens, not hundreds.
For Medicaid Patients, Access To Primary-Care May Not Be As Advertised
A survey conducted in Seattle found that half the time, primary-care providers listed as accepting new patients on Medicaid managed-care organization websites, in fact were not accepting new patients.
Missouri Medicaid Bill Wins Symbolic Committee Vote
Despite the procedural victory, even a GOP supporter of the bill does not expect passage of the Medicaid expansion plan during this legislative session.
Illinois Medicaid Moves To Managed Care
Hundreds of thousands of Medicaid recipients are being shifted into some kind of managed care this year as part of a sweeping overhaul.
Teresa Martinez: Waiting For Medi-Cal
Teresa Martinez, 62, from East Los Angeles makes $10,000 a year working as a hairdresser in a Koreatown salon. With her modest income she is likely to be eligible for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act’s Medi-Cal expansion.
Waiting For Medicaid To Kick In
About 800,000 people in California are presumed to be eligible for the newly expanded program but lack final approval. For a Los Angeles hairdresser and others like her, that means medical appointments are on hold.
Progress, Challenges As Medicaid Rolls Swell in Wash.
One of the most successful initiatives in the Affordable Care Act has been the effort to sign up patients to be covered by Medicaid under an expanded program. Now comes the hard part: facing up to challenges brought on by having so many more people in the program.
Adding Dental Care Contrasts With Mo. Legislature’s Opposition To Medicaid Expansion
Some of Missouri’s working poor have had no dental coverage since benefits were cut in 2005.
States Battle Asthma as Numbers Grow
With a climate especially bad for asthmatics, Missouri has been a pioneer in fighting the disease.
Kit Bond Works Missouri Capitol’s Halls On Medicaid Expansion
The former governor has been meeting with legislators, some of whom weren’t born when he first came to Jefferson City as state auditor in 1970.
What Happens Next On The Health Law?
As the first open enrollment period draws to a close, here are seven things to watch for clues about what the health law’s future might hold.
Nearly 1 Million More Sign Up For Obamacare Plans In February
But the number of enrollees, especially those between 18 and 34, continues to lag expectations.
