Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ohio Plan To Have Medicaid Enrollees Pay A Portion Of Their Premium Draws Criticism
A plan to require more than 1 million Ohioans on Medicaid to pay a new monthly cost is drawing mostly criticism from health care advocates, Democrats and others who claim the proposal would burden low-income beneficiaries and cause some to drop out of the government-funded program. (Sanner, 5/8)
Erin McCabe was grateful when she got her notice from the state of Ohio that she is eligible for Medicaid. She uses the program to pay for prescriptions, doctors' visits and counseling to help her battle mental health issues of depression, anxiety and attention deficit disorder. Ohio Governor John Kasich made a concerted effort to bring that part of Obamacare to Ohio to expand coverage for Ohio's working poor. "This is what the Lord wants," he said, at the time. But now many Medicaid recipients are concerned about what Republican lawmakers want. Kasich signed legislation that will have the state ask the federal government for permission to start charging able颅bodied Medicaid recipients up to $99 in annual premiums. (Beres, 5/6)
Medicaid managers have done little to stem rampant fraud in the massive government health care program for the poor, which totaled more than $29 billion last year, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to Congress. (Pianin, 5/8)
