Â鶹ŮÓÅ

Florida health officials are changing the state's policy for administering costly hepatitis C drugs to Medicaid patients and will now require insurance companies to provide the drug at an earlier stage in the disease. ... Previously, hepatitis C patients were only given the medication when they were at a so-called fibrosis level three or four. Patients often have such severe liver damage in stage four that they require a transplant, said Vicki Tucci Krusel, an attorney with Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County. ... The drugs can cost between $24,000 and $31,000 a month. It's unclear how many Medicaid patients in Florida have hepatitis C or have been denied the drug. (Kennedy, 6/1)

The state Medicaid reform waiver request is headed to Washington with Gov. Pat McCrory’s approval and — as expected — without an expansion proposal piggybacking along. The request starts a three- to five-year process with an end goal of Medicaid oversight being placed in the hands of three statewide managed care organizations, likely pre-paid health plans from commercial insurers, and up to 12 provider-led entities, likely to involve not-for-profit health care systems. (Craver, 6/2)

Gov. Pat McCrory on Wednesday signed an application seeking a waiver from the government to allow changes to how the $14 billion health insurance program for the poor and disabled is run in North Carolina. "Our proposal provides a North Carolina Medicaid plan that focuses on patient-centered care and improves health outcomes at more predictable costs," McCrory said. (Brown, 6/1)

Kansas tax collections for May fell short of projections by about $74 million, and legislators said Wednesday they fear that will mean more cuts to Medicaid. The May shortfall comes despite the state’s revenue estimating group revising projections downward for the third consecutive time about six weeks ago. It wipes out the meager savings Gov. Sam Brownback created when he made cuts two weeks ago after the Legislature sent him a budget that didn’t balance. (Smith, 6/1)