This message contains images. If you don't see images, click here to view. Click here to advertise in this news brief.   Mobile version    RSS    Subscribe    Unsubscribe    Archive    Media Kit Jul. 5, 2012 Home   About   Policy & Advocacy   Education & Resources   Events           Urban Institute analysis shows state-by-state impact if Medicaid expansion rejected InsideHealthPolicy.com    Share    About 80 percent of the 22.3 million Americans that could be eligible for Medicaid under the health reform law's expansion could remain uninsured if all states refuse to participate, according to an analysis by the Urban Institute. The report concludes that potentially 4.6 million Americans earning between 100 and 138 percent of the federal poverty level would be eligible for subsidies under that scenario, leaving the remaining 17.8 million that earn below 100 percent of poverty at risk of being uninsured. More Who could fall between the cracks? The Washington Post    Share    State rules on who qualifies for Medicaid vary widely. The Affordable Care Act would bring all states up to the same standard: Everyone with incomes at 133 percent of the federal poverty level would receive coverage. But the Supreme Court ruled that states can't be penalized if they don't go along with the expansion. In states that opt out, poor people who would otherwise have been newly eligible for Medicaid would not receive it. Still, because of a quirk in the law, the most well-off of these people — those with incomes between the federal poverty level and 133 percent of that level — would become eligible for an alternative: federal subsidies to buy private insurance plans in state-based marketplaces, or exchanges, created by the law. More States could cut Medicaid rolls in 2014 as a result of court ruling Kaiser Health News    Share    Starting in 2014, things could get worse for people in Medicaid. Not only could some states opt out of increasing the number of adults in the government health insurance program for the poor as a result of the Supreme Court's ruling, but also, they could cut people now enrolled. This wasn't supposed to happen under President Barack Obama's health law designed to expand coverage for 30 million Americans, in part by adding 17 million people to Medicaid. But the impact of the high court’s ruling making the expansion voluntary is likely to be compounded by another provision in the law that the justices left intact: In 2014, states are no longer barred from making it harder for adults to qualify for Medicaid. Experts worry those two developments taken together could spur some states to reduce the number of people covered. More Challenges ahead: State governors making plans for Medicaid POLITICO    Share    Governors have been making bold pronouncements about their plans to either embrace or scuttle Medicaid expansion in their states. But in some cases, they'll have to contend with legislatures that don't see eye-to-eye with them. Experts see a potential tug-of-war in those states and a lot of question marks about who, ultimately, will carry the day on the implementation of a core component of the Affordable Care Act. More Improving Lives. Reducing Costs. Health Integrated, the leading innovation partner for health plans, provides evidence- based solutions to achieve health management goals for clinical outcomes, quality measures and cost containment. Our expertise with vulnerable populations and 360-degree view of the impact of bio-psycho-social risk factors on health makes us the perfect partner for Medicaid and Medicare plans. www.healthintegrated.com Full steam ahead: In wake of Supreme Court decision, HHS issues funding opportunities, implementation guidance Health Affairs Blog    Share    While all of the attention of the public and of the media has been focused on the Supreme Court's June 28 decision upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act and on examining the nuances and consequences of that decision, the federal government has steadily moved ahead with implementation of the ACA. With the impediment that the litigation had potentially posed to implementation now cleared away, the federal and state governments must proceed expeditiously to meet the Jan. 1, 2014, deadline by which the exchanges, insurance reforms, premium tax credits, and Medicaid expansions (for the states that choose to pursue them) must be in place. More 4 scenarios to watch on state Medicaid expansion POLITICO    Share    Until last week, states essentially had no choice but to broaden Medicaid eligibility — potentially covering 16 to 17 million low-income Americans. Then the Supreme Court said they could take it or leave it. That means the states have more clout to strike a deal that would allow them to expand coverage while reshaping Medicaid more to their liking — like, say, those block grants conservative states have been hankering for. That cuts both ways, though — the feds can also withhold the approval that states need to make other changes in Medicaid unless they go forward with expansion. POLITICO's PULSE presents four scenarios to watch: Red states opt out, complain but take the money, negotiate their own terms, or put some in Medicaid and punt the rest to the exchanges. More Florida could lose billions by rejecting ACA Insurance News    Share    Two studies from Washington healthcare researchers project that Gov. Rick Scott's decision not to expand Medicaid as provided by the healthcare reform law could mean Florida losing billions of dollars in federal funding — money that could have been used to bring health insurance to hundreds of thousands of uninsured Floridians. More Florida governor overstates cost of healthcare overhaul The Associated Press via South Florida Times    Share    When Florida Gov. Rick Scott took to the airwaves this past weekend to criticize President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul, he said that it would cost Florida taxpayers $1.9 billion a year. "We can't pay for that," Scott told Greta Van Susteren on Fox News. But it turns out that he overstated the costs while explaining that despite a U.S Supreme Court ruling on the overhaul, the state would not carry out certain portions of the law, including expanding Medicaid coverage to those just above the poverty level. The court made it clear that Congress could not penalize states that failed to expand Medicaid. More Kentucky to benefit most from Medicaid expansion The Lane Report    Share    Kentucky will benefit most from the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. The healthcare law expands Medicaid to nearly all individuals under age 65 with incomes up to 133 percent of the federal poverty line, which will extend coverage to large numbers of the nation's uninsured population, especially adults. The number of uninsured adults earning less than 133 percent of the poverty line is expected to decrease in Kentucky by 57.1 percent — the highest in the nation — when the law is implemented, according to the commission. More Christie: Not sure Medicaid expansion needed in NJ Asbury Park Press    Share    Gov. Chris Christie says he is not sure New Jersey needs to expand Medicaid under the national health insurance law because the state's program already is extensive. The Supreme Court ruling that upheld the national healthcare law said Washington can’t force states to expand Medicaid with threat to withhold all Medicaid funds if people up to 133 percent of the poverty level weren't included. In New Jersey, people with children are eligible for healthcare if their income is 350 percent of the poverty level. That's about $81,000 for a family of four. More LIBERTY Dental Plan A national leader in providing dental benefits for Medicaid, CHIP and Medicare programs; • Nationwide Network • Comprehensive Dental Disease Management • Predictable Costs with Quality Programs Want to Mitigate Provider Fraud? Our solutions leverage public records data, linking technology and analytics to detect and prevent fraud and improve the quality of your provider networks. MORE Virginia officials count cost of Medicaid expansion The Virginian-Pilot    Share    State Medicaid spending already engulfs about one-fifth of Virginia's general fund budget, and it could eat up even more if leaders opt to extend the program under the federal health care law. Going that route — and it's hardly a certainty at this point — would put Gov. Bob McDonnell at odds with some of his fellow Republican governors who have said they won't expand government-backed insurance programs in their states. More Amerigroup now serving members in Washington state PR Newswire via Las Vegas Business Press    Share    Amerigroup Corp. began serving members in its 13th state, Washington, effective July 1. Amerigroup Washington is one of five health plans selected by the state to provide managed care to more than 800,000 Medicaid and 40,000 Basic Health program beneficiaries statewide. More Altegra Health, First 'Third-Party Submitter' Altegra Health is the first ‘Third-Party Submitter’ to receive certification in Encounter Data Front End Testing from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This certification reflects our expertise in encounter reporting, risk adjustment analytics, and data management. Altegra Health continues to be a health care services leader. New Insights Webinar on July 16: Improving Member Retention/Reducing Churn MHPA    Share    Paul Frenkel and Lance Scott of Altegra Health present on most effective methods of outreaching to/communicating with Managed Medicaid members to ensure they remain enrolled in Medicaid and therefore stay enrolled in their plan. For more information and to register, click here. Register for MHPA's 2012 Annual Meeting | Oct. 24-26 MHPA    Share    The MHPA 2012 Annual Meeting at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., again will be the country's largest gathering of top-level executives in the Medicaid health plan industry. This year's meeting, A Pivotal Time for Medicaid Health Plans, kicks off just one week before Americans cast their ballots in a presidential election in which health care is one of the foremost issues. As you've come to expect, the MHPA Annual Meeting will provide the perfect opportunity to participate in thought-provoking sessions and hear from compelling speakers, including Charlie Cook, political analyst and publisher of The Cook Report; Donna Brazile, political strategist and commentator; and Robert Brownstein, political director for Atlantic Media Corp. 2nd Annual Leadership Summit on Medicaid | July 24-25, Arlington, Va. The World Congress    Share    With the Supreme Court Ruling to determine the future of Medicaid Expansion in June, the 2nd Annual Leadership Summit on Medicaid will be the first national platform for all stakeholders to come together to discuss the implications and next steps. Hear Thomas Johnson, president and CEO of MHPA, participate on a keynote panel with other industry leaders to address the Supreme Court Ruling on Medicaid expansion and health reform. MHPA members, receive a $200 discount when you register online or at 800-767-9499 with promo code MHPA200. More Dual Eligibles Best Practices Summit | July 30-31 | Orlando, Fla. Healthcare Education Associates    Share    Thomas Johnson, president and CEO of MHPA, participates as a faculty member of the 2012 Dual Eligibles Best Practices Summit. Learn how to execute a well-run dual eligibles plan, from outreach campaigns to managed long-term care and everything in between. Members of MHPA are entitled to a 15 percent discount. Mention HMP122 during registration to enjoy this offer. For more information, click here or contact Theresa Powers at 704-341-2437 or tpowers@healthcare-conferences.com. More MHPA on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook MHPA    Share    Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to get industry-related news and the latest MHPA announcements.   MHPA's Industry NewsBrief Colby Horton, Vice President of Publishing, 469.420.2601 Download media kit Elizabeth Zavala, Content Editor, 469.420.2676    Contribute news This edition of MHPA's Industry NewsBrief was sent to ##Email##. To unsubscribe, click here. Did someone forward this edition to you? Subscribe here -- it's free! Recent issues July 5, 2012 July 3, 2012 June 28, 2012 June 26, 2012 7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063