The governor says he won’t implement the expansion approved by voters in a referendum this month unless lawmakers fully fund it. Elsewhere in the news, other states consider the Maine experience while considering their own voter referendums on expansion, one family in Iowa bemoans the experiences trying to get specialized care for their son from his Medicaid managed care plan, West Virginia officials consider work requirements for Medicaid enrollees and health care jobs are at stake as Ohio cuts reimbursement rates.


The Hill:
Maine Governor’s Refusal To Expand Medicaid Sets Off New Battle


Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s (R) steadfast opposition to abide by overwhelming voter support of expanding Medicaid is likely to set off a funding battle when the state legislature meets early next year. Estimates over the expansion cost differ wildly, and the governor has said he won’t approve a plan if it involves raising taxes or raiding the state’s rainy day fund. (Weixel, 11/10)


NPR:
Medicaid Expansion Takes A Bite Out Of Medical Debt


As the administration and Republicans in Congress look to scale back Medicaid, many voters and state lawmakers across the country are moving to make it bigger. On Tuesday, Maine voters approved a ballot measure to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Advocates are looking to follow suit with ballot measures in Utah, Missouri and Idaho in 2018. … A study from the Urban Institute may shed some light on why Medicaid eligibility remains a pressing problem: medical debt. While personal debts related to health care are on the decline overall, they remain far higher in states that didn’t expand Medicaid. (Smith, 11/10)


Des Moines Register:
Troubled Iowa Teen’s Progress Stalled Again By Private Medicaid Manager


In his worst moments, Logan Polly kicked holes in walls, beat himself and attacked others. He threatened to kill his mother, filled his school locker with hoarded food, ran away often and stopped eating for days at a time. Back in April, the 14-year-old adopted teen’s prospects of a productive future seemed dim and getting dimmer. His hard-to-find treatment, funded by Medicaid, was at risk of being cut short. AmeriHealth Caritas, one of three firms Iowa hired to manage Logan’s care, was trying to rein in the cost of his care, Tina Polly said. (Rood, 11/10)


California Healthline:
Wary Of Exchanges, Insurers Are Wooed By Expanded Medicaid Program


In California and much of the country, it’s a tale of two programs under the Affordable Care Act: state insurance exchanges and expanded Medicaid. Many health insurers, citing financial losses or the uncertainty of federal funding, have left the government exchanges where consumers buy subsidized coverage. The nation’s largest health insurer, UnitedHealth, exited the Covered California marketplace at the end of last year, and for 2018 Anthem will stop selling exchange policies in about half of California’s counties. (11/10)


Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette-Mail:
DHHR Considering Work Requirements For Medicaid Recipients


The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources is considering adding work requirements to the Medicaid program. Jeremiah Samples, deputy secretary of the state DHHR, said Friday that state officials are considering whether to add work requirements for about 170,000 West Virginians covered by Medicaid expansion. He said the requirement, if enacted, would focus on able-bodied people. (Beck, 11/12)


Crain’s Cleveland Business:
State Medicaid Cuts Could Run Deep In Northeast Ohio


A proposed cut to the state Medicaid reimbursement rate could mean a loss of up to 2,500 health care jobs in Northeast Ohio, advocates say. The Ohio Department of Medicaid has proposed a rate cut of 5% over the biennium for the care provided to Medicaid recipients. The Center for Health Affairs, an advocacy group representing Northeast Ohio hospitals, estimates that would result in a loss of $160 million over fiscal years 2018 and 2019 for the region’s hospitals, leaving them with few options to make up those costs. (Coutré, 11/12)

Hillary Clinton raises concerns about the delay in funding for children’s health coverage —


The Hill:
Clinton: Congress Playing ‘Roulette’ With Children’s Health Funding


Hillary Clinton says Congress is playing “roulette” over extending funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). … As first lady, Clinton was a champion of CHIP when it first made its way through Congress during former President Bill Clinton’s first term in office. Funding for the program, which covers 9 million children, technically expired at the end of September, but the first states aren’t expected to run out of funding until the end of the year. (Hellmann, 11/10)


This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.