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 Aug. 14, 2012 Home   About   Policy & Advocacy   Education & Resources   Events           Medicaid fight enlivened with Romney-Ryan ticket KPBS-TV    Share    The addition of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan to the Republican ticket is certain to elevate healthcare as a campaign issue this fall. Most of the debate likely will be about Medicare, and Ryan's controversial plan to transform the popular program for the elderly and disabled. But some of the attention likely will focus on Medicaid, the healthcare program for those with low incomes, as well. More Paul Ryan's biggest budget cuts are to Medicaid, not Medicare The Washington Post    Share    Paul Ryan's Medicare overhaul may be the most controversial part of his budget. But the proposed cuts to the program are not the biggest cuts in the plan. As Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein notes, Ryan's cuts to Medicare "are only 60 percent as large as the cuts to Medicaid and other healthcare programs." What's more, his biggest change to Medicare wouldn't kick in until 2023 — the start date for his voucher-based premium support program. By comparison, Ryan's cuts to Medicaid are more drastic, and they start sooner: Between 2013 and 2022, it would make nearly $1.4 trillion in cuts to Medicaid that "would almost inevitably result in dramatic reductions in coverage" as well as enrollment, according to the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. More Report: Medicaid expansion would help childless adults The Hill    Share    Single adults without children significantly would benefit from the Medicaid expansion in President Barack Obama's healthcare law, according to new research. The report, written by the Urban Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, says roughly 82 percent of the people newly eligible for Medicaid do not have a dependent child. More Early-bird rate for MHPA's 2012 Annual Meeting expires Aug. 31 MHPA    Share    Register now for the MHPA 2012 Annual Meeting in October at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., to take advantage of the early-bird discount. For meeting details, including travel/lodging info and the agenda for the Oct. 24 pre-conference, "Developments in the States," click here. To register, email Thanh Duong at tduong@mhpa.org. 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 Changes under way for determining in-home Medicaid services in Kansas Kansas Health Institute    Share    Kansas officials are changing the way they determine which in-home Medicaid services are provided to the frail elderly and people who are physically disabled. The new system will rely on a single agency or organization with a presence in each of the state's 105 counties to assess what services a person will receive. Currently, there are more than 30 organizations involved with the process. Some assess only the elderly. Others focus solely on the physically disabled. More KanCare: Ready or not? Kansas Public Radio via Kansas Health Institute    Share    Less than five months from now, the Kansas Medicaid program is scheduled to convert to a privatized system called KanCare. In January, three for-profit, managed-care organizations will take over the federal/state program that pays for healthcare for low-income children, seniors and people with disabilities. State officials have been conducting meetings across the state to help people prepare for the change. More Medicaid cuts loom; Georgia to extend insurer pacts Georgia Health News    Share    State officials say proposed budget cuts to Georgia Medicaid and PeachCare would total $170 million in state funds through the next fiscal year. And with the matching federal funds generated by that state spending, the reductions would have a more than $500 million impact on the two health insurance programs. The cuts would come on top of a current shortfall in the two programs that the Department of Community Health's budget director estimates at about $300 million. More Medicaid: Flood of funds await approval in Georgia The Atlanta Journal-Constitution    Share    The federal healthcare law would inject $36 million into Georgia's healthcare economy over 10 years by adding more than 650,000 low-income Georgians to the Medicaid program. Deal, a strong opponent of the law, is wary of the proposition. The state projects that Georgia’s share of the law’s $40 billion cost for a fully expanded Medicaid program would reach $4.5 billion over a decade, a sum the governor fears would break a state budget already stretched by health costs. More Medicaid projection at issue in Georgia The Atlanta Journal-Constitution    Share    Budget gurus and health officials in every state are trying to project the costs and benefits of the Affordable Care Act. Georgia is no exception. As state officials try to decide whether Georgia will agree to expand its Medicaid program, putting a price tag on that decision has been the first order of business. Some experts who have reviewed the numbers say the state's projections may overstate the likely costs. More Brewer advisers form health pact to push to expand Medicaid in Arizona The Arizona Republic    Share    Two key advisers to Gov. Jan Brewer are attempting to create a coalition of hospitals, insurance plans, providers and other players to push Arizona to expand Medicaid under federal healthcare reform. Last week, the board of a statewide group of human-services providers agreed to hire Chuck Coughlin and Peter Burns, and the state's largest hospitals and health plans are considering signing on. More Altegra Health Improves Healthcare Performance Altegra Health is a leading provider of business, technology, and consulting solutions that improve healthcare organization performance by aligning the company’s best–in–class capabilities with health plan and provider clients’ existing capabilities, resulting in comprehensive, integrated solutions for revenue management. For more information, visit AltegraHealth.com. Virginia healthcare professionals urge Medicaid expansion Daily Press via Pharmacy Choice    Share    An additional 100,000 Hampton Roads, Va., residents would qualify for Medicaid under the proposed expansion authorized by the Affordable Care Act to take effect in 2014, according to new figures released by the Urban Institute. Those account for more than a quarter of the newly eligible in the whole state. More As Medi-Cal soars, higher education loses San Francisco Chronicle    Share    The U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the Obama administration's healthcare law opens the door for millions more to get coverage through the expansion of Medicaid, the public health insurance for the poor. But if history is any guide, college students could feel the pinch as states cut aid to higher education to expand healthcare. More Michigan could scale back Medicaid expansion if costs become too burdensome MLive.com    Share    Supporters of the Affordable Care Act are hopeful that Michigan will expand its Medicaid program now that a federal official has said states could opt out down the road. But a spokesman for Michigan House Leader Jase Bolger, R-Marshall, said that's not necessarily enough to sway his opinion in favor of the measure. More Obama pushes for state help on health exchanges Reuters    Share    The Obama administration will try to encourage reluctant U.S. states to move forward with health insurance exchanges amid fears that time is running out for states to act on a reform provision meant to extend coverage to millions of low-to-moderate income uninsured Americans. 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 Inaccurate or incomplete data wastes time and money. LexisNexis® data hygiene services make it easy to maintain updated member contact information and reduce undeliverable and returned mail. LEARN MORE Insights webinar: Reduce Outsourcing Risk | 11 a.m. EDT Aug. 27 CGS    Share    The CGS presentation, "Reduce Outsourcing Risk with a Vendor Qualification and Review Process," demonstrates how to qualify a supplier during the selection process using a defined set of scoring criteria, and how to use the same criteria to manage the supplier during ongoing operations. More Free webinar: Making the Business Case — Fundamentals, Opportunities and Risks for Health Plans Considering Participation in the Dual Eligible Market | 1 p.m. EDT Aug. 29 Sellers Dorsey    Share    This webinar will examine the opportunities and potential risks for Medicaid health plans to manage the duals population. Health plan execs will learn the crucial external and internal points that influence their decisions such as market size, provider capacity, ROI, provider contracting constructs, compliance risk and capacity for clinical integration. Presenters: Mike Fox, senior consultant, is a leading expert in major Medicaid managed-care expansion, oversight, contract and rate development. Having both state Medicaid agency and health plan experience, he offers a deep understanding of managed care policy, operations and business development. Also, Kip Piper, senior consultant, is a top expert in Medicaid, Medicare and health reform. Kip advises health plans, hospitals and health systems, state Medicaid agencies, drug and device manufacturers, and investment firms. His experience includes senior adviser to the CMS administrator, head of Wisconsin Medicaid, state health commissioner and health plan executive. Click here to register. Enhance Membership Expansion with CareCall Rapid expansion is on the horizon as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Will you be able to effectively communicate with your members? Specializing in managed care for over 20 years, CareCall can provide cost-effective outsourcing solutions for overflow support and member outreach efforts. Call Today! 1-866-730-0426 www.carecall.com Insights webinar: Evolving Toward a New Model of Care | 11 a.m. EDT Sept. 10 Daiichi Sankyo Inc.    Share    This presentation reviews the challenges that PCPs face, case studies where PCMH has been undertaken, and barriers/challenges associated with its implementation. More Free webinar from MHPA partner Verizon: Fraud Waste and Abuse — The Next Generation | 2 p.m. EDT Sept. 12 MHPA    Share    Understanding the patterns of fraud, where to find it, how to detect, and when to act. The old pay-and-chase model of fraud management is inefficient and costly. Connie Schweyen, Debra Faulkner, MBA, MHA; and David Botsko, Ph.D., CFE, managing principals at Verizon Connected Healthcare, will show you how to catch crime before it happens and how a near real-time fraud management solution can ensure near-time results. More Free webinar by MHPA partner Baxter: Importance of Coordinated Care in the Management of Members with Hemophilia | 11 a.m. EDT | Sept. 18 MHPA    Share    This webinar is focused on coordinating care in hemophilia, improve outcomes and reduce costs. Best practice coordination of care includes the plan's relationship with the patient, specialty pharmacy, and hemophilia treatment centers. A managed Medicaid plan will discuss management of hemophilia patients through working with the state as well as outcomes associated with care through a specialty pharmacy. A hemophilia physician will discuss the uniqueness of coordinated care through the hemophilia treatment center and demonstrated outcomes. More Free webinar by MHPA partner LexisNexis: Why Identity Management Matters to Medicaid | 1 p.m. EDT Nov. 8 MHPA    Share    As a Medicaid Plan you should not just be addressing the "what" of identity management — the technical side — but, more important, the question of "who?" How do we know who the person on the other end is who they say they are and what risks they may pose for the environments and systems they are attempting to enter. More 2012-2013 Best Practices Compendium submissions deadline extended to Aug. 24 MHPA    Share    Click here for details. Reaching, Retaining, and Serving Dual Eligible Beneficiaries | Sept. 19-20 Healthcare Education Associates    Share    Explore effective marketing, outreach and engagement for Medicare/Medicaid dual eligibles. Healthcare Education Associates and the Risk Adjustment Initiative & Society for Education are pleased to present the Reaching, Retaining, and Serving Dual Eligible Beneficiaries Summit, slated for Sept. 19-20 in Scottsdale, Ariz. This groundbreaking two-day intensive event designed to tackle the unique challenges of marketing and outreach to the dual eligible population, will feature MHPA President and CEO Thomas Johnson as a guest speaker. MHPA members get 15 percent off registration by using Priority Code: HMP122. Call Theresa Powers at 704-341-2437 or register online here. 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 Aug. 14, 2012 Aug. 9, 2012 Aug. 7, 2012 Aug. 2, 2012 7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063