Next year, people who qualify for Medicaid and have a body mass index of 30 or higher will have access to at least 12 visits a year with a healthcare professional. News outlets also report on Medicaid developments in Colorado, California, Maryland and Illinois.
Wilmington, Del., News Journal:
Delaware Medicaid Program To Cover Obesity Treatment Visits In 2019
The state’s Medicaid program will cover treatment visits for people struggling with obesity in 2019 with the hopes it will improve health outcomes for Delawareans. The Delaware Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance is one of nine founding members of My Healthy Weight, a national initiative targeted to fight obesity. This concept was developed by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the Bipartisan Policy Center. (Newman, 1/2)
Denver Post:
Kim Bimestefer To Take Helm Of Colorado Agency Overseeing Medicaid
Kim Bimestefer on Tuesday was named executive director of the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, the agency that oversees the state’s Medicaid program. The agency serves more than 1.3 million Coloradans.Bimestefer, a private-sector health care industry executive, begins work on Jan. 8. (Paul, 1/2)
California Healthline:
State Gives Medi-Cal Enrollees Something To Smile About
Susan Inglett’s dental coverage changed just after she got a root canal on one of her top teeth. It was 2009, and California was in the midst of a budget crisis. To cut costs, Medi-Cal, the state health insurance program for low-income residents, eliminated non-emergency dental benefits for adults. Inglett, 63, of San Diego, needed a crown for that vulnerable tooth, but the state no longer paid for them. (Bazar, 1/3)
Baltimore Sun:
Provider Of Housing For The Disabled To Pay State $500,000 For Medicaid Fraud
Living Sans Frontieres Inc., which provides housing and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, agreed to pay the state $500,000 for charging Medicaid for services it did not provide. Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced the settlement with the Woodlawn-based nonprofit Tuesday. (McDaniels, 1/2)
Chicago Tribune:
State Charges Chicago OB-GYN In Medicaid Scam
A Northwest Side doctor has been charged with defrauding the state of $100,000 in Medicaid funds for women’s health services she didn’t provide, the Illinois attorney general’s office said. Dr. Manuela Farhi, 60, whose obstetrics and gynecology practice on West North Avenue in the Galewood neighborhood offered care for women enrolled in Medicaid, allegedly billed the state for patients who missed appointments and for services she claimed to have performed while out of the country, according to an indictment filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court. (Channick, 1/2)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.