State Highlights: Judge Skeptical Over Partners Deal In Mass.; S.C. Gets New Medicaid Director
A selection of health policy stories from Massachusetts, North Carolina, Louisiana, Oregon, Ohio, South Carolina and California.
WBUR:
Judge Appears Skeptical About Partners HealthCare Deal
In a packed courtroom on the 10th floor of Suffolk Superior Courthouse, the question on the docket appeared to be a simple matter: Should a judge in the Business Litigation Division say yes or no to a deal negotiated between Partners HealthCare and Attorney General Martha Coakley? In any standard consent judgment, the judge would default to the attorney general. But again Monday, as she did in September, Judge Janet Sanders made clear she will not say yes, no, or come back with a revised deal until she understands the details and possible consequences. (Bebinger, 11/10)
Boston Globe:
Judge, Coakley Tangle Over Partners Deal
A Suffolk Superior Court judge on Monday suggested that Attorney General Martha Coakley’s gubernatorial ambitions may have played a role in the expansion plan negotiated with Partners HealthCare, and said she might consult with the incoming attorney general, Maura Healey, before ruling. The comments from Judge Janet L. Sanders, near the end of a daylong hearing, provoked a tense exchange with Coakley, a Democrat, who just lost a tight election to Charlie Baker, the Republican governor-elect. (McCluskey, 11/10)
The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier:
Gov. Nikki Haley Names Insider Christian Soura As New Medicaid Director
During Keck's four-year tenure, the Medicaid program in South Carolina has steadily grown. According to data provided by the agency, the program will cost nearly $7 billion to administer this fiscal year, compared to $5.7 billion in 2012. In August, more than 1.1 million adults and children were enrolled in the Medicaid program, up from about 850,000 people four years ago. ... Keck, who is considered by health care experts around the country as a progressive leader in a red state, streamlined the process for signing children up by culling information from other state agencies so that they may be automatically enrolled. ... Despite these broadly popular initiatives, he may be best remembered for his uncompromising opposition to the new federal health care law. Keck has been adamant that South Carolina should not expand Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act. (Sausser, 11/10)
The (Columbia, S.C.) State:
Aide To S.C. Gov. Haley To Take Over State’s Medicaid Agency
Five days after saying changes were coming to her cabinet and senior staff, Gov. Nikki Haley announced the first shakeup – a change at the agency that oversees the state’s Medicaid program. Health and Human Services director Tony Keck, who helped increase the number of South Carolinians with health insurance while opposing the federal law to expand coverage, is returning to the private sector, Haley said Monday. Christian Soura, the governor’s budget expert, will take over the $7 billion-a-year agency if confirmed by the state Senate. (Shain, 11/10)
The Associated Press:
Haley Names New Leader For S.C.'s Medicaid Agency
Gov. Nikki Haley on Monday nominated her former deputy chief of staff to replace the outgoing director of South Carolina's Medicaid agency. Christian Soura will take over from Tony Keck at the state Department of Health and Human Services starting Nov. 20. The Senate still must confirm his appointment. DHHS provides health care coverage to nearly 1.2 million of the state's poor, disabled and elderly residents, about a quarter of the state's population. (Adcox, 11/10)
North Carolina Health News:
Wake County Doc Believes He Has A Cure for 'Dysfunctional Medicine'
On a rainy Wednesday morning in the thick of fall allergy season, Brian Forrest disappears into one of the plain yet cheerful exam rooms at Access Healthcare with longtime patient Winston Goodwin. Half an hour later, the primary care physician emerges, heads to his office and types up a detailed treatment plan that includes specific meal suggestions – leafy greens and salmon – and other health tips. All told, Forrest spends around 40 minutes on the patient. Most primary care physicians would go bankrupt if they spent that kind of time on routine visits, yet Forrest said he’s making two to three times the income of his colleagues while seeing only 16 patients a day. All Goodwin pays when he checks out is $64 for the visit, $10 for the flu shot. And even though he has Medicare, neither the patient nor the practice will file a claim. Goodwin can’t afford the monthly charge that Forrest offers his patients in lieu of accepting insurance, instead paying full cost for his visits. Even though he has Medicare, which he uses for hospital visits, Goodwin would rather pay out of pocket. (Ferris, 11/11)
The Associated Press:
Former Jindal Health Secretary Pleads Not Guilty In Perjury Case Tied To Medicaid
Gov. Bobby Jindal's former health secretary entered a not guilty plea Monday on charges that he lied when questioned about the award of a now-canceled $200 million Medicaid contract. Bruce Greenstein was indicted on nine counts of perjury, charges tied to his sworn testimony during a state Senate confirmation hearing and to a grand jury reviewing the state's contract with Maryland-based Client Network Services Inc., known as CNSI. (DeSlatte, 11/10)
The Oregonian:
State Manager Who Sought No-Bid Contract For Well-Connected Firm Is Moving On
Cathy Kaufmann, the manager who tried to award a $150,000 no-bid contract to the wife of a then-adviser to Gov. John Kitzhaber, is leaving state service for another job. Kaufmann will go to work for Families USA, an influential liberal health care advocacy group, as enrollment program director. Previously, she headed the Oregon Health Authority's Transformation Center, a federally funded $45-million project to foster innovations in reforms to the Medicaid-funded Oregon Health Plan. (Budnick, 11/10)
The Associated Press:
Ohio Gov. Kasich Appoints New Medical Director
The Ohio Department of Health on Monday got a new medical director, a former state epidemiologist who was in charge of the state's response to the Ebola crisis. Dr. Mary DiOrio was appointed by Republican Gov. John Kasich. DiOrio has been with the agency for 13 years and will make $150,000 annually. She'll work under state Health Director Rich Hodges, whose appointment to the post by Kasich had been criticized because he is not a physician. (11/10)
California Healthline:
Fragile, Rural Population About To Be Moved Into Medi-Cal Managed Care
Next month, state health officials will launch a transition of rural Medi-Cal beneficiaries into Medi-Cal managed care health plans. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program. The transition involves about 20,000 of the most frail and elderly segment of the rural Medi-Cal population -- seniors and persons with disabilities, known as SPDs. (Gorn, 11/10)