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The number of hospitalized Iowans lacking health insurance dropped by nearly half in the first six months of the year, mainly because the state decided to expand its Medicaid program, hospital leaders said Wednesday. The Iowa Hospital Association said about 4,445 patients lacking health insurance were hospitalized in Iowa from January through June of 2014. That was a 46 percent decline from the 8,181 uninsured patients hospitalized during the same period in 2013. (Leys, 11/12)

A survey of Iowa hospitals has shown substantial savings that are being credited mainly to the state's expanded Medicaid program, findings that are mirrored by Quad-City hospitals. The Iowa Hospital Association surveyed 101 hospitals across the state from January through June of this year and made comparisons with the number of patients seeking care who had or did not have health insurance coverage. ... At Trinity Bettendorf, the rate is more like 50 percent, Greg Pagliuzza, the chief financial officer for UnityPoint Health Trinity, said Wednesday. The reductions in Iowa are due to Medicaid expansion through the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, which resulted from passage of the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. (Baker, 11/12)

The state Medi-Cal system has taken on 2.7 million more Californians since October 2013. That's an increase of 31% from the 8.6 million previously enrolled. The jump brings the current number of Californians in the Medi-Cal program to 11.3 million -- roughly 30% of the state's population. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program. (Gorn, 11/12)

A board of medical professionals appointed by Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that the state should provide health coverage to low-income Texans under the Affordable Care Act — a move the Republican-led Legislature has opposed. The 15-member Texas Institute of Health Care Quality and Efficiency recommended that the state’s health commissioner be authorized to negotiate a Texas-specific agreement with the federal government to expand health coverage to the poor, “using available federal funds.” (Walters, 11/12)

Millions of low-income children are failing to get the free preventive exams and screenings guaranteed by Medicaid and the Obama administration is not doing enough to fix the problem, according to a federal watchdog report. The report, released Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG), says the administration has boosted rates of participation but needs to do more to ensure that children get the regular wellness exams, dental checkups and vision and hearing tests. The report notes that 63 percent of children on Medicaid received at least one medical screening in 2013, up from 56 percent in 2006, but still far below the department’s 80 percent goal. (Galewitz, 11/13)