Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) says he won’t expand the program until state lawmakers find a way to fund it under his conditions, despite voters’ approval of a ballot initiative with nearly 60 percent support. Meanwhile, Wisconsin residents sue the state over its refusal to pay for gender reassignment surgeries.
Politico:
Maine Governor Sued For Defying Medicaid Expansion Ballot Measure
Obamacare supporters are suing Maine Gov. Paul LePage’s administration to force him to expand Medicaid, accusing the Republican of ignoring a ballot initiative that ordered the state to join the coverage program. LePage has refused to expand Medicaid nearly six months after 59 percent of the state’s voters approved it in a first-of-its-kind ballot measure. He has insisted he won’t adopt Medicaid expansion unless state lawmakers meet his conditions for funding the program. (Pradhan, 4/30)
The Hill:
Medicaid Expansion Advocates Announce Lawsuit In Maine
Maine Equal Justice Partners led the effort to put the expansion to a vote last year, and announced Monday it was filing a lawsuit in conjunction with other individuals and groups. “The governor has continued to drag his feet,” Robyn Merrill, the group’s executive director, said at a press conference at Maine’s state courthouse. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with the legislature. They still have the opportunity to act on Medicaid expansion, but that hasn’t happened yet. And so with the goal of getting health care to people as soon as possible, we decided we couldn’t wait any longer.” (Roubein, 4/30)
The Associated Press:
Transgender Residents Sue Over Wisconsin’s Medicaid Rule
Two Wisconsin residents who want gender reassignment surgeries paid by Medicaid filed a lawsuit Monday against the state, contending their denials of service are discriminatory and violate the federal health care law. The federal lawsuit from Cody Flack, a 30-year-old transgender man, and Sara Ann Makenzie, a 41-year-old transgender woman, challenges a 1997 state regulation that deems “transsexual surgery” as medically unnecessary and therefore not eligible for Medicaid coverage. (Moreno, 4/30)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Trans Residents Sue Over Wisconsin’s Denial Of Treatment Coverage
Wisconsin unlawfully denies Medicaid coverage for necessary transgender medical treatments, two transgender residents claim in a federal lawsuit filed Monday. …Though the federal Medicaid Act and state statutes say coverage should not be arbitrarily withheld based on diagnosis or condition, a Wisconsin Department of Health Services regulation from 1997 cites care related to gender transition — along with tattoo removal and earlobe repair — as “medically unnecessary.” (Vielmetti, 4/30)
And in Medicaid news from Idaho and Kansas —
The Hill:
Idaho Medicaid Expansion Ballot Measure Moving Forward
Idaho is poised to allow a vote on Medicaid expansion after an activist group said it has collected enough signatures to put it on the November ballot. Reclaim Idaho said it has collected the required 56,192 signatures needed to place the measure on the ballot. The deadline to turn in the signatures is Monday. (Weixel, 4/30)
Kansas City Star:
Medicaid Expansion A Non-Starter In Kansas This Year
It could have extended coverage for roughly 150,000 people, but it would have come at a cost for a state where money is often a concern. Medicaid expansion barely made enough progress this year to ruffle those in the GOP-controlled Kansas Legislature who have long opposed such a move. (Woodall, 4/30)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.