Illinois Halves Number Of Insurers In Overhaul Of Medicaid Managed Care Program

Chicago Tribune:
Illinois Names 6 Insurers To Take Part In Overhauled Medicaid Managed Care 

More than half a million Illinois residents on Medicaid are about to see major changes in their coverage as the state slashes in half the number of insurers in its Medicaid managed care program. The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services announced Friday that it has selected six insurers to be part of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s planned overhaul of the program, down from the 12 now participating. In Medicaid managed care, private insurers administer Medicaid benefits, whereas the state administers benefits in traditional Medicaid. (Schencker, 8/11)

Des Moines Register:
A Medicaid Patient Lost The Care He’d Received For 20 Years. 3 Months Later, He Was Dead.

Thirty-two years ago, a vehicle accident left Todd Mouw a quadriplegic, unable to feed himself and needing a ventilator to breathe. Yet for decades he was able to live at home with the help of family, aided by medical staff who visited him daily to help provide 24-hour care. That care abruptly ended when a for-profit company that Iowa hired last year to manage the state’s Medicaid program announced that some of the staffers who had attended to Mouw all those years weren’t qualified, and it wouldn’t pay for the cost. (Clayworth, 8/12)

The Associated Press:
Complaints Challenge Mississippi Medicaid Decision

A nonprofit organization supported by hospitals and another health care provider have filed complaints over Mississippi Medicaid’s decision to award a major managed care contract to other companies. Mississippi True, a newly formed nonprofit backed by 65 hospitals, and Amerigroup have gone to court asking for damages and seeking a court order to bar the state from finalizing the Medicaid contract, which they contend was awarded improperly. (8/12)

The Associated Press:
Medicaid Referendum Has Each Side Accusing Other Of Misinformation

As congressional efforts to change former President Barack Obama’s health law sputter, a push to expand Medicaid in Maine has opponents raising questions about the source of future federal funding. Maine voters are set to consider a Nov. 7 ballot question to require the state to apply for a Medicaid expansion for adults under 65 with incomes at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty line. (8/12)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Insurer Alerts Medicaid Members Of Privacy Violation 

Missouri Care Inc. has notified 1,223 Missourians enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program that some of their personal information was mailed to an incorrect address. No medical or financial information was shared in the letters, according to the Missouri Department of Social Services. (Liss, 8/11)