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The state of Alaska has suspended Medicaid payments to hospitals and clinics amid a continuing budget impasse in the Legislature, but the state’s director of health care services said the two events are unrelated. On Wednesday, in a letter emailed to health care providers, health care services director Margaret Brodie said “it is necessary for us to temporarily pend some Medicaid claims while Medicaid funds are reallocated among accounts.” (Brooks, 5/26)

DHSS Deputy Director for Health Care Service Lori Campbell said her department will decide weekly which claims to suspend and which to pay. Medicaid claims are usually paid or denied in a weekly cycle, which Campbell said “starts at noon on Monday and is typically not finalized until late Wednesday, early Thursday.” During each weekly cycle, a financial team in DHSS will now choose which claims will be processed based on how dependent on Medicaid the provider is. ... the lack of funds that led to the suspended Medicaid claims came from the lack of a normally-available state funding source. As DHSS approaches the limits of its budget at the end of the fiscal year, it is usually able to request additional money from the legislature. This year, no money is available to fill the need. (Boettger, 5/25)