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Aug. 18, 2020

TOP NEWS

MHPA20 is going virtual! MHPA With the recent extension of the Public Health Emergency declarations by the District of Columbia and also the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, we have made the difficult decision to hold our Annual Conference virtually this year. Although, we are disappointed we won't be seeing you in person, we're very excited about our sessions and speakers focused on "Building on the Promise of Managed Care." Because MHPA20 will be held in a virtual environment, we will be lengthening the conference to be held over four days and not our traditional three, but starting each day at 12 noon ET so our attendees from across the country can participate at a reasonable hour! The new start date will be Tuesday, Oct. 13, and it will run through Friday, Oct. 16. Please register today to lock in the best rate ever for our Annual Conference, and we'll see you in October!

Commentary: Medicaid Managed care is a model that works for Iowa and Iowans Des Moines Register Craig Kennedy, president and CEO of MHPA, writes: "A recent editorial titled 'Goodbye, Mike Randol. Hello, opportunity to return Iowa's Medicaid program to state control' misrepresented many elements of the Medicaid managed care model.In 2016, Iowa moved away from a state-run, fee-for-service system to a coordinated and comprehensive Medicaid managed care model. Under this model, states provide Medicaid health benefits by contracting with managed care organizations, or MCOs, to deliver high-quality care to Medicaid enrollees." READ MORE

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Oklahoma pulls Medicaid block grant application Healthcare Dive Oklahoma has withdrawn its request to turn Medicaid into a block grant program, according to a letter the state's Medicaid director sent to CMS this week. In April, it became the first state to submit a waiver asking CMS for permission to enact block grants in its Medicaid program under guidance the Trump administration released earlier this year. READ MORE

Medicaid expansion funding: Oklahoma governor puts tobacco trust state question on ballots Tulsa World Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt supports a state question that would allow legislators to tap into a greater portion of funding for the state's Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust.That question, State Question 814, will appear on Oklahoma's general election ballot on Nov. 3. READ MORE

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More than 100,000 Washington residents added to state Medicaid program The Spokesman-Review More than 100,000 Washington residents have enrolled in Medicaid since the pandemic began, according to the Health Care Authority.That means nearly 1.9 million Washingtonians are receiving insurance benefits from the state's Medicaid program, called Apple Health. READ MORE

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Federal dollars bolster Florida Medicaid program WMBB-TV The cost of Florida’s Medicaid program is projected to total nearly $31.3 billion this fiscal year, and a record 4.36 million people are expected to enroll, according to new estimates drawn up by state economists. Despite a projected 10% increase in costs over last year, economists said the state will have enough money to keep the safety-net health care program funded during the current 2020-2021 fiscal year, in part because of Congress' decision in March to increase the amount of federal funds spent on the program. READ MORE

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Medicaid Expansion applications open in Nebraska; benefits start Oct. 1 KOLN-TV via MSN Medicaid Expansion is happening in Nebraska — it's called Heritage Health-Adults. Applications started Aug. 1. But so far only 5,000 people have called in, and they've found 1,600 to be eligible by expansion. READ MORE

Texas health agency faces lawsuit for rationing hepatitis C drugs Becker's Hospital Review Texas Medicaid enrollees have filed a lawsuit against the state's health and human services commission, claiming the agency rations hepatitis C treatments to save money.The state agency denies hepatitis C prescription coverage to patients unless they can prove they have severe liver damage. The lawsuit, which was filed Aug. 13 and is seeking class-action status, alleged these restrictions limit access to drugs that have cure rates near 100% for all patients, regardless of infection severity. READ MORE

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Standard operating procedures start chugging back to life at Medicare, Medicaid HealthExec CMS has taken an important step toward normalizing its operations as the COVID crisis matures. The agency is restarting routine inspections of healthcare providers and suppliers certified to receive reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid. READ MORE

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Missouri Medicaid expansion won in cities, but would have failed without these voters The Kansas City Star Medicaid expansion prevailed in Missouri last week (53.2% to 46.7%) thanks to overwhelming support in urban areas and critical backing from suburban voters who have consistently elected Republicans.Less obvious but just as important were rural Missourians. Usually written off as reflexively hostile to government initiatives, 1 in 3 rural voters (102,000) turned out for expansion. Without them, the proposed constitutional amendment would have failed by more than 20,000 votes. READ MORE

Transgender teens sue Arizona Medicaid over state's refusal to cover surgeries The Hill Two teenagers filed a class action lawsuit against Arizona’s Medicaid agency on Thursday. The plaintiffs, who are transgender, allege that their civil rights are being violated by the state health insurance program’s restrictions on covering gender reassignment or gender affirming surgeries. READ MORE

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