Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Alaska Gov. To Announce Medicaid Expansion Plans Thursday
Gov. Bill Walker will announce his plans to expand Medicaid in Alaska on Thursday, bringing him closer to fulfilling one of this top campaign promises, his spokeswoman said Monday. The scheduled announcement Thursday morning won’t mark the initiation of the program, but will explain how Walker intends to go forward on expansion without a mandate from the Republican-controlled Legislature, said Grace Jang, Walker's spokeswoman. The Legislature, with opponents of expansion in key leadership roles, failed to hold a vote on Walker's expansion bills. (7/13)
Walker campaigned on expanding Medicaid coverage. ... In May, during the first special session, an administration bill to expand and make changes to the Medicaid program was tabled in the House Finance Committee for further review. Senate Finance did not take up the bill during this year's two special sessions. (/7/12)
Concerned about disruptions in health coverage for private-option enrollees and children from low-income families, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a letter to state lawmakers Monday that he has instructed the state Department of Human Services to "bring in additional resources as necessary" to help with the annual check of eligibility for Medicaid benefits. Hutchinson sent the letter to update lawmakers on an annual check of the incomes of about 600,000 Medicaid recipients, including tens of thousands of enrollees on the private option, that began a month ago using an electronic eligibility and enrollment system that has been under construction for more than two years. (Davis, 7/14)
Lake County is one of the leading counties in [Indiana] when it comes to previously uninsured residents signing up for the Healthy Indiana Plan 2.0. In a Monday speech before the Gary Chamber of Commerce, Indiana Medicaid Director Joe Moser spotlighted the fact that 20,309 of 25,557 of Lake County enrollees were purchasing insurance for the first time through HIP 2.0 — and not rolled over from the previous version of HIP or other Medicaid programs. ... But Moser said that census data reveals that there are almost 7,000 Lake County residents who may qualify for HIP 2.0, but haven't enrolled yet. (Lazerus, 7/14)
