Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Iowa Hospitals Press Judge To Stop State From Revamping Medicaid Program
A Polk County judge heard pleas from Iowa hospitals Friday to delay the state鈥檚 shift to private management of its Medicaid program. But a lawyer for Gov. Terry Branstad urged the judge to leave the decision to federal experts, who are determining if the state is ready to take the privatization plunge on Jan. 1. Judge Robert Hanson must decide whether to grant an injunction requested by the Iowa Hospital Association, which says Branstad鈥檚 plan is rushed and illegal. (Leys, 12/11)
At least one health care provider is warning patients that Iowa's plan to switch to privatized Medicaid management may force them to find new doctors. And the state last week acknowledged the possibility after the Hematology & Oncology Center of Iowa distributed fliers warning its patients of the possibility. That鈥檚 because Iowa has contracted with four separate corporations that will work like insurance companies to oversee management of the 560,000 poor and disabled Iowans on the program, which is slated to launch on Jan. 1. People with multiple doctors may find that some of their current physicians haven鈥檛 contracted with and won鈥檛 accept some 鈥 or even any 鈥 of the four insurers. (Clayworth, 12/14)
The Cal MediConnect program got a little good news in the latest enrollment numbers: The percentage of [the] dual eligible opt-outs dropped slightly from 47% in October to 45% in November. Excluding Los Angeles County, which has the state's largest number of residents dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, the percentages looked even better, with a 30% opt-out rate this month, compared to 37% a month ago. (Gorn, 12/11)
When lawmakers in the N. C. General Assembly passed their long-awaited Medicaid reform bill this past September, they all acknowledged that the 14-page bill would not be the final word on the future of the $13 billion program. The quote from legislators, lobbyists and advocates heard frequently in debate and around the halls of the legislative building over the past few years of debate over Medicaid has been that the 鈥渄evil will be in the details鈥 as the state reforms the program. (Hoban, 12/14)
