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Arkansas will resume its push to terminate coverage for thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries who haven't verified their income, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday, despite complaints that many being kicked off the program still qualify. Hutchinson said the Department of Human Services has eliminated a backlog of responses from Medicaid recipients trying to prove they still qualify for coverage. The Republican governor had ordered a two-week pause in the terminations so DHS officials could process thousands of responses they had received. (DeMillo, 8/18)

Arkansas will lift the suspension on Medicaid verifications and terminations, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Tuesday during a news conference at the state Capitol. In addition, an agreement has been reached to provide pharmacy benefits for 30 days to certain individuals covered by two insurance carriers — Blue Cross Blue Shield and Centene — who have been sent a notice of termination. (Riddle, 8/18)

Gov. Doug Ducey’s plan to tighten eligibility requirements for some enrolled in Arizona’s Medicaid program drew questions and concerns at a public meeting Tuesday. Critics said it would harm access to care for low-income residents with no evidence that it would save taxpayers money. (Alltucker, 8/18)

CMS officials last week approved California's Drug Medi-Cal waiver, opening the door for the state to dramatically change the way mental health services are delivered in Medi-Cal. (Gorn, 8/18)

All five managed-care plans serving poor and disabled Ohioans on Medicaid score average when it comes to how happy patients are with their doctors. Medicaid officials released the state’s first report card of managed-care plans on Tuesday. It’s a tool they hope will help beneficiaries choose coverage that works best for them and their families. (Candisky, 8/18)

A new review by a nonprofit health organization shows that the largest share of Kentucky's Medicaid population lives in the impoverished eastern portion of the state. The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky has embarked on a three-year study of how the federal Affordable Care Act is affecting Kentucky. The group released its first report on Tuesday. About a quarter of the state's population is now on Medicaid after the state decided to expand the program's eligibility requirements. Eastern Kentucky accounts for 32 percent of the Medicaid recipients while 25 percent live in western Kentucky. Nineteen percent live in Louisville, 16 percent live in Lexington and 8 percent live in northern Kentucky near Cincinnati. (8/19)

A subsidiary of Philadelphia-based AmeriHealth Caritas was one of four companies selected by Iowa officials to participate in the management of the state's $4.2 billion Medicaid program, which serves about 560,000, officials announced Tuesday. AmeriHealth and the other winners - units of Anthem Inc., UnitedHealth Group Inc., and WellCare Health Plans Inc. - will compete statewide for Medicaid beneficiaries under the program, which starts Jan. 1, 2016. Iowa officials picked four of 10 health insurer applicants that completed the process. (Brubaker, 8/19)