Feds Seek To Push Texas Toward Expanding Medicaid
Meanwhile, in Missouri, lawmakers will not expand Medicaid, but they are pursuing changes to the existing program, including greater policing of eligibility and encouraging use of telemedicine.
The Texas Tribune:
Feds Warn Texas: Expand Medicaid Or Risk Hospital Funds
The federal government is holding state leaders’ feet to the fire, hoping to get Texas to expand its Medicaid program to provide health insurance to more low-income Texans. Federal officials called the state's health agency this week to say that Texas' reluctance to expand Medicaid — a key tenet of President Obama's signature health law — will play into whether his administration extends a waiver that helps the state's hospitals cover uninsured patients. (Walters, 4/17)
The Associated Press:
Missouri Republicans Inch Forward On Medicaid 'Reforms'
Missouri Republicans said early in the session Medicaid expansion was a non-starter again this year and despite Democratic attempts to address the issue using amendments and protests, they've stuck true to their word. But Republican leaders have also said they want to see reforms to the Medicaid system. Some tweaks to the state's Medicaid system are moving forward, including proposals encouraging the use of telemedicine, a raise to the asset limit for people with disabilities and more stringent policing of eligibility. (French, 4/19)
And on the topic of the Children's Health Insurance Program -
Politico Pro:
More Than Kids Could Depend On CHIP In The Future
Even as lawmakers celebrate the demise of the SGR, their success on that issue may have shifted pressure onto a different one: the Children’s Health Insurance Program. (Mershon, 4/17)