Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Arkansas Has Dropped Over 420,000 From Medicaid Rolls Over Six Months
More than 427,000 Arkansas residents were dropped from Medicaid in the past six months, as the state became among the first nationally to complete a post-pandemic eligibility review of the government-funded health care program for lower-income residents. The state ended coverage for more than half of those whose cases were reviewed during the period — a removal rate that raised concerns Tuesday among some health care advocates even as the Republican-led administration defended its efficiency in shrinking the Medicaid rolls. (Lieb and DeMillo, 10/10)
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is trying to fend off a potential class-action lawsuit that alleges the state has not provided adequate information to Medicaid beneficiaries before dropping them from the health-care program. Attorneys for the state Agency for Health Care Administration and the Department of Children and Families on Friday filed court documents arguing that a federal judge should reject requests to issue a preliminary injunction and to make the lawsuit a class action. (Saunders, 10/10)
In other health news from across the U.S. —
Starting at age 40, mammograms for women at high risk for breast cancer are covered under the Affordable Care Act. And at age 50, patients can get the preventative check every two years. But additional tests can mean big bills. But a new state law eliminates cost sharing for the advanced screenings, like a MRI or ultrasound, when a physician determines the tests are necessary. And they can be cost prohibitive for patients: A study commissioned by the Susan G. Komen Foundation found patients can pay more than $1,000 for a breast MRI even with insurance. (Cummings, 10/10)
California state assemblyperson Ash Kalra is preparing to reintroduce a bill early next year that would create a program known as CalCare to provide the same package of health-care benefits to all residents and make the state solely responsible for reimbursing providers. This time around, the effort has more momentum, but still faces a number of obstacles. (Coleman-Lochner and Kamisher, 10/10)
Public health researchers are urging politicians and policymakers to make a revolutionary HIV treatment more accessible to Black and Hispanic people in Georgia, one of the states with the highest rates of new diagnoses. Though no vaccine or cure for HIV is currently available, HIV is preventable and treatable thanks partly to advances in medicine including pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. (Wheatley, 10/10)
On measles and malaria —
A Milwaukee resident who works in Waukesha County has tested positive for measles, prompting the city's health department Tuesday to release the dates and locations the individual visited to prevent the highly contagious virus from spreading. "Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease," said Milwaukee Health Commissioner Mike Totoraitis in a statement. "The virus is a highly contagious disease that is spread through respiratory droplets and direct contact with contaminated surfaces.” (Van Egeren,10/10)
With seven documented cases of malaria reported in Sarasota County this year, the county’s Mosquito Management Services team spent the summer on high alert. The cases were reported in May, June and July, prompted by mosquitos carrying the Plasmodium vivax infection. (Owens, 10/10)
