Arizona legislation to better regulate rehab programs targeted by Medicaid scams is moving forward
A Navajo state senator in Arizona says she's hoping for final approval of her bill to tighten regulations for rehab facilities amid widespread fraud that has bilked hundreds of millions in Medicaid dollars.
Families say autism therapy helped their kids. Indiana's Medicaid cuts could put it out of reach
Starting with the new year, Indiana will implement a universal reimbursement rate for a therapy commonly used by children with autism, at a rate significantly less than what healthcare providers received on average in the past.
Appeals court takes up transgender health coverage case likely headed to Supreme Court
A federal appeals court is considering cases out of North Carolina and West Virginia that could have significant implications on whether individual states are required to cover health care for transgender people with government-sponsored insurance.
Florida health insurance rate better, still lags rest of the country
With top Florida lawmakers signaling that health care issues could be a priority during next yearโs legislative session, a report released Thursday showed that Florida saw improvement in 2022 in people having health insurance โ but still trailed most of the country.
Fake Arizona rehab centers scam Native Americans far from home, officials warn during investigations
Hundreds of Native Americans have been recruited to addiction treatment centers in Phoenix from states as far away as Montana in a widespread billing scheme that mostly targeted Medicaidโs American Indian Health Program.
Navajo Nation declares widespread Medicaid scam in Arizona a public health state of emergency
A widespread Arizona Medicaid scam that has left an unknown number of Native Americans homeless on the streets of metro Phoenix is being declared a public health state of emergency by the Navajo Nation as fraudulent sober living homes lose their funding and turn former residents onto the streets.
New work requirements for federal aid? GOP pushes proposals in debt talks
Work requirements for federal aid programs have emerged as a sticking point in ongoing negotiations over raising the nationโs debt ceiling, and President Joe Biden has signaled openness to a possible compromise even as many in his party have balked.
Judge refuses to halt transgender treatment rule
A federal judge on Wednesday refused to issue a preliminary injunction to block a new state rule preventing Medicaid reimbursements for gender-affirming treatments for transgender people, saying plaintiffs had failed to demonstrate โirreparable harm.โ
Academics attack Florida plan to limit transgender treatment
A group of academics from Yale University and other schools says a plan by Florida health officials that likely would restrict Medicaid insurance coverage for gender dysphoria treatments for transgender people lacks any sound medical justification.
Florida agency looks to deny gender affirming treatments for transgendered people
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration issued a report Thursday that could set the stage for the Medicaid program to deny coverage for treatments such as puberty-blocking medication and hormone therapy for transgender people.
COVID-19 law sparks dialogue on nursing home alternatives
Now, the COVID-19 relief bill is offering states a generous funding boost for home- and community-based care as an alternative to institutionalizing disabled people. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)WASHINGTON โ With the memory of the pandemic's toll in nursing homes still raw, the COVID-19 relief law is offering states a generous funding boost for home- and community-based care as an alternative to institutionalizing disabled people. As it has grown to cover about 1 in 5 Americans, it's also become the nation's default long-term care program, although qualifying is often an arduous process. While the federal government requires state Medicaid programs to cover nursing home care for low-income people, that's not the case for home- and community-based support services. For now, states and advocates for the disabled are awaiting guidance from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on how the money in the COVID-19 law can be spent.
Medicaid incentive so far not enough to sway holdout states
Henry McMaster remains firmly opposed to the Medicaid expansion. The bump in federal funding would last two years for the states that join the Medicaid expansion. Laura Kelley this year called for legalizing medical use of marijuana and using the tax revenue to pay for expanding Medicaid. "Itโs a nonstarter, and we will continue to oppose the liberal wish list item of Medicaid expansion,โ he said. Kay Ivey left open the possibility of expanding Medicaid at some point in the future, but there are no plans to do so.
Justices call off arguments over Medicaid work requirements
WASHINGTON โ The Supreme Court said Thursday it has called off upcoming arguments over a Trump administration plan to remake Medicaid by requiring recipients to work, agreeing to a request from the Biden administration. But the Biden administration already has decided preliminarily that work requirements do not fit with Medicaid's goal of providing health care to lower-income people. AdOther cases involved Trump administration immigration policies and a fight over unreleased portions of grand jury documents from special counsel Robert Muellerโs investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 elections. The high court had in December agreed to review lower-court decisions involving Arkansas and New Hampshire that found that the Trump administrationโs support for work requirements went beyond whatโs allowed by law. Arkansas had opposed the Biden administrationโs request that the cases be dropped.