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A company that wants to continue managing health care plans for Nebraska Medicaid recipients is taking the state to court after losing its bid. Aetna Better Health of Nebraska claims state officials unfairly withdrew its initial contract award in exchange for a different managed care organization that shouldn't have qualified in the first place. State officials said they are in the best position to determine what's good for Nebraskans, calling the selection process impartial and designed to benefit taxpayers, not individual bidders. (Pluhacek, 6/16)

The federal government, which spends billions of dollars each year covering unintended pregnancies, is encouraging states to adopt policies that might boost the number of Medicaid enrollees who use long-acting, reversible contraceptives. LARCs, as they are known, “possess a number of advantages,” Vikki Wachino, deputy administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, wrote to state programs in a recent bulletin. “They are cost-effective, have high efficacy and continuation rates, require minimal maintenance, and are rated highest in patient satisfaction.” And, Wachino stressed, “more can be done to increase this form of contraception.” (Andrews, 6/16)

Private insurance companies that say they were underpaid by Florida’s Medicaid system over the past two years delivered a $433 million bill to the state this month, according to the Miami Herald. The unpaid payments are owed jointly by the state and the federal government. (6/15)