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Healthcare Dive
On April 25, CMS released its final rule on regulatory changes to Medicaid managed care programs and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The new regulations will be implemented in phases, beginning on July 1, 2017. “These improvements modernize the way these managed care health plans operate so that Medicaid and CHIP continue to provide cost-effective, high quality care to consumers,” Andy Slavitt, CMS acting administrator and Vikki Wachino, CMS deputy administrator and director for the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services, said in a blog post.
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The Hill
Dozens of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration unanimously called for the agency to rethink its approach to opioid abuse amid a worsening epidemic nationwide.
Thirty leading medical experts voted Wednesday to recommend changes to the FDA's existing rules on opioids, which have not been updated since the agency approved the policy in 2012.
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The Hill
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on Wednesday, May 4, called for more robust training for doctors who prescribe opioids, highlighting the medical community's role in combating addiction.
Murthy, the nation's top doctor, called prescribing practices "a key part" of stemming the flow of painkillers, which have led to alarmingly high numbers of overdose deaths across the country.
"If we change prescribing practices, we can change the face of the epidemic," Murthy said during a 25-minute speech during a Washington Post forum on addiction Wednesday.
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Kaiser Health News
Seeking to slash the red tape that keeps ex-prisoners with mental illness, drug addiction and other ailments from getting health coverage, Maryland is proposing to give thousands of newly released inmates temporary Medicaid membership with few questions asked. The measure, described as the first of its kind in the nation, would help close a gap occurring when sick inmates leave jail or prison care but have trouble getting coverage and treatment after they get out, sometimes for months, advocates say.
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The News-Star
Gov. John Bel Edwards told more than 350 people from northeastern Louisiana they could thank his Medicaid expansion for saving University Health Conway, the state's safety net hospital in Monroe. Without the estimated $184 million savings from the Medicaid expansion, Edwards said, Conway would have suffered the same fate as four other safety net hospitals that are slated for closure because of deep budget cuts.
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The Associated Press via Chicago Tribune
The chairmen of Arkansas' largest political parties agreed Tuesday that legislators came up with a good Medicaid expansion plan, even if they differed on how they got there.
Democratic Party Chairman Vince Insalaco told the Political Animals club that Republicans had a "Jesus moment" in extending benefits.
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The Associated Press via Alaska Dispatch News
Alaska Senate Majority Leader John Coghill said Monday he has recommended that lawmakers drop their lawsuit challenging Gov. Bill Walker's authority to expand Medicaid on his own.
Coghill, R-North Pole, said the issue has gotten wrapped up in the politics surrounding Medicaid expansion and adds to an already contentious situation as lawmakers try to reach agreements on the budget and other matters to end the extended legislative session. Coghill said he thinks pursuing the case is the right thing to do, but he also believes that support for doing so has dissipated.
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The Associated Press via Aberdeen News
South Dakota's ability to expand Medicaid under Gov. Dennis Daugaard's conditions got a boost from federal policy changes that could help the state cover the costs of expansion, a top adviser to the governor said.
Officials examining expansion hope to have a better idea next month whether a federal move to take on more Medicaid costs for Native American enrollees will allow South Dakota to cut spending enough to offset broadening eligibility for the public health coverage program.
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Montgomery Advertiser
The Senate adjourned Tuesday evening a few hours after a committee failed to vote on the bill. The committee's lack of action meant the bill cannot pass in the current session.
The legislation, which would split an estimated $639 million payment over the 2010 oil spill, passed the House Thursday and needed to pass a Senate committee to stay alive. The bill would have split the proceeds between state debt payment and coastal road projects, and freed up money for Medicaid.
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Science Daily
Primary care practices in a large California Medicaid managed care plan offering teledermatology had an increased fraction of patients who visited a dermatologist compared with other practices, according to an article published online by JAMA Dermatology.
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MHPA
Join Bing, CEO of MHPA Associate Member, HealthCrowd, for an eye-opening presentation in her signature style -candid but respectful, with a touch of dry health plan humor. For the first time, Bing will reveal to this MHPA audience aggregated insights from thousands of conversations with health plan executives and managers who are directly or indirectly involved in digital member engagement.
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MHPA and Institute for Medicaid Innovation
Women's Reproductive Health Project The IMI is leading a women's reproductive health project that is funded by the Kaiser Family Foundation. We will be administering a questionnaire developed by your colleagues at Medicaid health plans that will include an opportunity to briefly identify innovative and promising best practices, develop an issue brief and host a policy briefing with Kaiser. We encourage your participation in the following ways:
- May 16: Questionnaire DUE
- TBD: Kaiser and Institute Joint Policy Briefing (D.C.)
Please send your submissions and any questions to Jennifer Moore.
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