This message was sent to ##Email##
|
|
|
|
|
|
Advertisement
|
|
|
AIS
In its second year of expansion under the Affordable Care Act, Kentucky's Medicaid program saw significant increases in outpatient utilization and preventive care, reductions in emergency department use and improvements in healthcare quality and self-reported health. Yet a proposal presented in June by newly elected Gov. Matt Bevin includes several concerning changes for the program’s contracted managed care organizations (MCOs), which the governor contends are overpaid citing data from the June 2016 Milliman report.
But Jeff Myers, president and CEO of Medicaid Health Plans of America (MHPA), suggests that the Milliman data alone don't necessarily reflect the costs associated with Medicaid expansion and with starting up managed Medicaid in the state in 2011. "Kentucky has one of the most chronically ill, poorest populations in the United States, and prior to expansion, they had incredibly high rates of uninsured and incredibly high rates of people who had not seen medical help for several years, so moving to a managed care design obviously [was] going to have some challenges," he said. "So I think suggesting that the plans are overpaid or their margins are too high ignores the history of how both [the expansion and the move to managed care] got rolled out."
READ MORE
The Hill
Two Democratic congressmen are raising questions about whether Mylan NV, the company facing backlash for raising the price of its EpiPen device, overcharged the government's Medicaid program for the allergy treatment. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-New Jersey) wrote a letter to the secretary of Department of Health and Human Services asking for clarification on whether EpiPen was considered a generic, "non-innovator" drug, or a brand-name drug by the Medicaid program, according to Reuters.
READ MORE
|
Promoted by
|
|
|
|
 |
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce unveiled what it bills as a conservative-friendly blueprint for Medicaid expansion on Wednesday, outlining a trio of proposals that could offer more coverage to Georgia's poorest residents under the Affordable Care Act. A task force deputized by the influential business group cast its options as a starting point for Georgia lawmakers who are preparing for a bruising debate in 2017 over healthcare coverage that could cost less than a wholesale expansion of the program. It calls it the "Georgia Way" — though it spares many crucial details, such as the cost of each option, how it could be financed or how many people it could cover.
READ MORE
Kansas Health Institute
A large section of what used to be Mercy Hospital in Independence, Kansas, has been torn down in the year since it closed. On a hot August day, a bulldozer prepares the lot where it once stood for construction of a new city garage. Andy Taylor, editor of the weekly Montgomery County Chronicle, said many residents of the community of about 10,000 still aren't sure exactly what happened. But he said they believe city and state officials could and should have done more to save the hospital.
READ MORE
 |
|
* Prevent high cost events * Optimize risk management
* Close quality gaps * Streamline care transitions *
Utilize post-acute analytics to build your network, get started today!
|
|
The Dallas Morning News
The budget cushion that Texas has long enjoyed is vanishing. Medicaid spending is higher than expected. The economy is cooling. Last year's tax cuts and the decision to move billions of general-purpose revenue into highways will dramatically shrink the pool of money available for budget writers in next year's legislative session. Fears are mounting that lawmakers will have to cut spending deeply, especially if, as in most recent years, they don’t want to heavily dip into the state's rainy day fund or raise fees. Any tax increase is almost certainly off the table in a solidly conservative legislature.
READ MORE
The Associated Press via Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
Costs for Alaska's expanded Medicaid program have exceeded first-year estimates by roughly $30 million so far, leaving some concerned about the impact the program may have on the state budget once the federal government stops covering the entire tab. Gov. Bill Walker expanded Medicaid to provide coverage to thousands more lower-income Alaskans. Enrollment began last September, and as of July 31, nearly 20,400 people had signed up.
READ MORE
|
Promoted by
|
|
|
|
 |
The Philadelphia Inquirer
It's been four weeks since Shatara Gillette was released from a Philadelphia jail with five days of medication for her bipolar disorder. Her medical assistance still hasn't been activated, so it's been more than 20 days since she last took her medication. Prison administrators say it's a familiar cycle among the 30,000 people released from Philadelphia jails each year with five days of medication and no medical coverage. Getting benefits restored after incarceration can take weeks or even a few months — long enough for people to relapse.
READ MORE
The Denver Post
Colorado will increase access to a life-saving, expensive hepatitis C drug, covering needy patients in earlier stages of liver disease than were previously considered, the state Medicaid department said Thursday. The decision comes after criticism from the ACLU Colorado and Denver Health medical center and a recommendation from the state drug review board, which provides guidance on drug coverage for the state insurance program for needy Coloradans.
READ MORE
|
Missed last week's issue? See which articles your colleagues read most.
|
|
Don't be left behind. Click here to see what else you missed.
|
MHPA
We're weeks away from mhpa2016, the largest Medicaid managed care annual conference.
Register here.
Learn more about mhpa2016 by visiting us at medicaidconference.com.
Sponsored by ...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
7701 Las Colinas Ridge, Ste. 800, Irving, TX 75063
|
