Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, says states will likely soon begin bids to bolster the program to be better coordinated. In other news, Republicans opposed to Medicaid expansion in Maine are beginning to organize to fight a referendum there and Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe presses lawmakers once again to expand the program there.


Bloomberg/BNA:
Medicaid Directors See Boon In Newfound Public Awareness

Medicaid directors are seeing a newfound public awareness and appreciation of the safety-net health insurance program in the wake of failed Obamacare repeal-and-replace efforts. That’s critical for Medicaid’s future, Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, told Bloomberg BNA Aug. 18. Now the real work will move back to the states, which can push bids to bolster the program to be more value-driven, holistic, and better coordinated for the most needy beneficiaries, he said. (Pelham, 8/18)


Portland (Maine) Press Herald:
Republicans Organize To Raise Concerns About Medicaid Expansion In Maine

Several Republican lawmakers are expected to announce their concerns Tuesday about expanding Medicaid, a first step toward what could become a formal campaign to oppose the question voters will face on the Nov. 7 ballot. … Maine Equal Justice Partners, a progressive advocacy group for low-income people, gathered more than 67,000 signatures of registered Maine voters to put the Medicaid expansion question on the Nov. 7 ballot. The proposal would expand Medicaid coverage to adults under 65 who earn below $16,000 for a single person and $22,000 for a family of two. (Thistle, 8/21)


Richmond Times-Dispatch:
McAuliffe Backs Devoting Full Surplus To Reserve Funds, Pitches Medicaid Expansion Again

Gov. Terry McAuliffe warned General Assembly budget leaders on Monday that Virginia needs to bolster its cash reserves to hedge against the potential threat to the state’s economy from President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget. McAuliffe, speaking to the assembly money committees in their temporary home in the Pocahontas Building, also called on legislators for the fourth time to expand Virginia’s Medicaid program with billions of dollars in federal funds under the Affordable Care Act after its survival from attempts to repeal the law in Congress. They quickly declined the offer. (Martz, 8/21)


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