“Just because you’ve been in jail for a short period of time, that shouldn’t automatically knock you off the [Medicaid] rolls,” said David Davis, the Democratic sheriff of Bibb County, Georgia. “You then have to go through enrollment all over again.” The disruption in enrollment can often negatively effect an already vulnerable population of people. Other Medicaid news comes from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Georgia, California and the South.
Stateline:
In Reversal, Counties And States Help Inmates Keep Medicaid
More local and state officials are working to ensure that low-income residents stay on Medicaid when they go to jail. Federal law bars Medicaid recipients from accessing their full federal health benefits while incarcerated. But officials from both parties have pushed for two key changes to ensure little or no disruption of health benefits for pretrial detainees who have not been convicted of a crime and make up most of the 612,000 people held in America’s county jails. In recent years, officials have increasingly implemented a stopgap measure to help inmates more seamlessly reactivate their Medicaid coverage upon release from jail or prison. (Blau, 1/8)
The Hill:
Medicaid Expansion Improved Health In Southern States: Study
A new study finds that Medicaid expansion improved people’s health in Southern states, resulting in fewer declines in people’s health. The study published in Health Affairs finds that Medicaid expansion made declines in health status 1.8 percentage points less likely in states that expanded the medical coverage. (Sullivan, 1/7)
Des Moines Register:
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds Considers Legislative Action To Ensure Medicaid Providers Are Paid On Time
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday that she wants to give the state more power to make sure the insurers working with Iowa’s privatized Medicaid program pay health care providers on time. “We’ve got some ideas going into the next legislative session. I’m not going to talk about those today,” Reynolds said. Last week, state health officials for the first time announced plans to withhold money from a private insurance company because of unresolved issues over payments to Medicaid health providers. (Rodriguez, 1/7)
KCUR:
Abortion, Medicaid, Marijuana Are Among 2020 Health Care Hot Buttons In Missouri And Kansas
Kansas and Missouri remain among the shrinking minority of states that never expanded Medicaid. Pressure is mounting that could force political compromise in Topeka soon. Meanwhile, Missouri is down to one abortion clinic, fighting state efforts to strip its license. In Kansas, abortion foes are gearing up to ask Kansans to change their state’s constitution after the Kansas Supreme Court ruled last year that women have the right to terminate a pregnancy. (Llopis-Jepsen, Margolies and Smith, 1/7)
Atlanta Journal Constitution:
Ga. Panel On Maternal Deaths Wants Medicaid To Cover More Poor Moms
A legislative committee studying Georgia’s troubling record of maternal deaths has found the state could save lives by extending Medicaid coverage for poor mothers to one year following birth. In recommendations approved this week, it advised the Legislature to do just that. But the timing could hardly be worse, as the Legislature faces budget cuts. (Hart and Acosta, 1/7)
Kaiser Health News:
5 Things To Know As California Starts Screening Children For Toxic Stress
Starting this year, routine pediatric visits for millions of California children could involve questions about touchy family topics, such as divorce, unstable housing or a parent who struggles with alcoholism. California now will pay doctors to screen patients for traumatic events known as adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, if the patient is covered by Medi-Cal — the state’s version of Medicaid for low-income families. (Ostrov, 1/8)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.