Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
N.M. Plans To Cut $33.5M In Medicaid Reimbursements To Doctors, Hospitals, Dentists
New Mexico's Human Services Department has released an outline of proposed cuts to reimbursement rates for Medicaid health care providers aimed at trimming up to $160 million in annual state and federal spending. ... New Mexico is seeking to close an $86 million state funding gap for Medicaid services between now and mid-2017, under budget restrictions linked to a downturn in energy markets and other spending priorities. (Lee, 4/26)
Faced with limited dollars and skyrocketing Medicaid enrollment, the New Mexico Human Services Department announced Tuesday it plans to generate as much as $33.5 million in savings by cutting provider rates for doctors, hospitals and dentists around the state. The rate cuts, which would take effect in July, include several changes from a recommendation rolled out earlier this month by an 11-member panel that was made up of health care industry executives and practitioners from around the state. (Boyd, 4/26)
Andy Martin鈥檚 body had rejected another HIV medication, and now his viral load was spiking. Sitting in his living room, Martin told a nurse and a social worker that he鈥檇 recently spent three days in the hospital with a high fever. The social worker, Scott Blackburn, told him that if his viral load didn鈥檛 drop, he could end up there again. ... The visits to Martin, 61, are part of a Medi-Cal program designed to help HIV and AIDS patients avoid costly hospitalizations and nursing home stays. Medi-Cal is California鈥檚 version of Medicaid. (Gorman, 4/27)
