Advocates Press Missouri Governor To Halt Plan To Move Medicaid To More Managed Care
The state is planning to move all children and parents covered by Medicaid into managed care plans by next May, but consumer groups say the change doesn't guarantee better care or savings. Also, federal officials ask Utah to get more public comment on its Medicaid expansion plan, and Indiana's efforts on expansion are not expected to change with a new governor coming onboard next year.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Groups Wary Of Statewide Managed Care Expansion
A coalition of groups is calling on Gov. Jay Nixon to put the brakes on a plan to expand managed care health coverage for poor people. In a July 11 letter to the governor and the Department of Social Services, the organizations said they don’t believe the change will result in better care for Medicaid recipients and questioned whether the expansion was legal. (Erickson, 7/18)
Salt Lake Tribune:
Federal Government To Utah: Take Additional Comment On Medicaid Expansion
At the request of the federal government, Utah is taking additional comments on its plan to extend Medicaid coverage to 9,000 to 11,000 more Utahns. State officials sent their proposal to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this month after holding a public comment period that garnered more than 130 remarks. But the CMS recently asked Utah to give the public the opportunity to comment on the budgetary portion of the proposal, said Kolbi Young, spokeswoman for the state Department of Health. Young added that this is a "technicality" because that portion was not available when Utah's comment period ended. (Stuckey, 7/18)
Modern Healthcare:
Indiana's Medicaid Expansion Will Likely Continue Without Pence
Indiana's Medicaid expansion will likely continue despite Gov. Mike Pence withdrawing from the state's gubernatorial race to join Donald Trump as his running mate. Pence's conservative version of Medicaid expansion took effect last year. His Healthy Indiana 2.0 plan—which includes premium contributions, health savings accounts, incentives for healthy behaviors, and a benefit lock-out for people who don't pay premiums—has become a model for conservative Republican governors in other states such as Kentucky and Ohio. (Dickson, 7/18)