At a community forum, a diverse group of officials point out how proposals to cut federal funding to Medicaid could play out in Michigan. Also in Medicaid news, Maine voters weigh whether to expand the program there and Indiana hospitals are buying or leasing nursing homes to increase federal funding.


MLive:
Proposed Medicaid Cuts ‘Devastating’ For Vulnerable People, Panel Says

The best way to push back against the president’s proposed $700 billion cut to Medicaid funding in 2018 is to emphasize the personal impact of the reductions. That was the message a panel of elected [Michigan] officials brought to people gathered Monday, Oct. 16, at the Community Alliance office in Ypsilanti to learn more about the potential changes to Medicaid. … The group said the proposed Medicaid cuts would be “devastating” to senior citizens and people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to fund their long-term medical care. (Slagter, 10/17)


Governing:
Maine’s Medicaid Vote A Test Of Obamacare Support

The Maine Legislature has voted to expand Medicaid five times in the last five years. But every time the bill reached GOP Gov. Paul LePage’s desk, he vetoed it. So advocates of expanding Medicaid decided to go straight to voters. They collected enough signatures to put the issue to voters in November. If passed, the state would become the 33rd to expand Medicaid and signal support for former President Obama’s signature health-care law at a time when President Trump is taking major steps to reverse it. (Quinn, 10/17)


Kaiser Health News:
Chasing Millions In Medicaid Dollars, Hospitals Buy Up Nursing Homes

Westminster Village North, a nursing home and retirement community in Indianapolis, recently added 25 beds and two kitchens to speed food delivery to residents. It also redesigned patient rooms to ease wheelchair use and added Wi-Fi and flat-screen televisions. This fall, it’s opening a new assisted living unit. “We have seen amazing changes and created a more home-like environment for our residents,” said Shelley Rauch, executive director of the home. (Galewitz, 10/18)


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