Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Federal Medicaid Officials Approve Major Revamping Of Mass. Program
The federal government on Friday approved a sweeping overhaul of the state’s health care program for poor and low-income residents, pushing medical providers to better coordinate the care of nearly 2 million people. The goals are to improve the health and quality of care for a population of patients that tends to have complex medical needs, while also attempting to control spending in the $15 billion-plus Medicaid program — the single largest expense in the state budget. (Dayal McCluskey, 11/4)
The Obama administration denied New Hampshire's bid to make 50,000 low-income adults face a work requirement to receive taxpayer-paid coverage under an expansion of Medicaid. The decision, while expected in many quarters, was stunning in its timing coming on near the eve of an election in which this issue has been a hot topic for months. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services also rejected provisions of the 2015 New Hampshire Health Protection Program that would impose more rigorous standards to prove U.S. and New Hampshire citizenship to be eligible. (Landrigan, 11/6)
New Hampshire, a state where Republicans currently control both legislative chambers, also sought to require newly eligible adults to verify that they are U.S. citizens by providing two forms of identification, and verify that they are residents of New Hampshire by providing a state-issued driver's license or a non-driver's license picture ID card. The state also wanted to require beneficiaries who visit the emergency room for non-emergency purposes to pay a copayment of $8 for the first visit and $25 for each subsequent visit. The CMS denied this request but left the door open for the state to reapply if the program covered non-emergency services provided in the ER. (Dickson, 11/5)
An Alaska man developed gangrenous toes. A Philadelphia woman froze to death on the street. An Illinois woman died emaciated, covered in excrement. These patients suffered as their government-paid caretakers neglected them, collecting paychecks under a Medicaid program that gives elderly and disabled people non-medical assistance at home. In some cases, the caretakers convicted of neglect were the victims’ own family members. (Bailey, 11/7)
