Medicaid News Noise

March 23, 2022

Summary: Scanning the Google news feed about Medicaid on any random day reveals scores of articles on a wide range of topics: from fraud to waitlists, from eligibility to funding, and on and on. This is complex, overwhelming, and unjust. It would disappear with single payer.

Google News search “Medicaid” 21Mar2022

> TennCare prepares to expand dental benefits, but only 1 in 3 dentists accepts reduced payments
> Missouri struggles with Medicaid coverage
> Lawmakers need to know the difference Medicaid makes for Idaho families and our communities
> Telehealth Utilization Increasing Medicaid Provider Reimbursement
> California to eliminate Medicaid waitlists through assisted living waiver
> Obamacare Medicaid Expansion Is Boosting Economic Health
> Jury acquits men of all counts in Medicaid fraud case
> Medicaid and Racial Health Equity
> Op-ed: Medicaid budget proposal would jeopardize care for New York’s most vulnerable
> Medicaid and CHIP Eligibility and Enrollment Policies as of January 2022: Findings from a 50-State Survey
> Illinois Sets Aside $66 Million for Medicaid Innovation Collaborative
> Mississippi could renew push to extend Medicaid for new moms
> Analysis: A health care problem too big for the Texas Legislature
> Kentucky House quickly advances bill putting tighter rules on food benefits, Medicaid
> Political Notebook: Medicaid expansion looks promising in North Carolina, Rep. Sasser says –
> CMS Releases Updated Guidance on Medicaid Eligibility and Redeterminations
> Johnson County Mental Health Center highlights Medicaid expansion during advocacy day in
> Physician venture investor talks telehealth, digital therapeutics, Medicaid tech
> Counselor Sentenced to Federal Prison for Wide-Ranging Medicaid Fraud Scheme
> CMS releases Medicaid DSH allotments
> Ohio Medicaid preaches transparency, withholds watchdog reports
> Congress Includes Medicare, Medicaid, Other Health Policies in Omnibus FY 2022 Spending Bill
> Amid a renewed push, vaccine uptake is still lagging among Virginia Medicaid members
> Arizona to resume disenrolling people from Medicaid program
> When parents get Medicaid, it can benefit the health of their kids too
> MACPAC releases Medicaid, CHIP report: 3 things to know
> Expand Medicaid Now – Henry County Times
> Unwinding of the PHE: Maintaining Medicaid for People with Limited English Proficiency
> How Medicaid enrollment in Missouri can disrupt the cycle of incarceration
> Medicaid funds mired in red tape for people with disabilities
> Using Medicaid to Fund More Mental Health Supports for Schools
> Fact-checking Nikki Fried’s claim about Florida’s Medicaid funding
> Stacey Abrams makes a personal case for Medicaid expansion
> Oregon embarks on ‘bridge’ health insurance plan for people facing Medicaid expansion sunset
> Lawmaker Takes Aim at 1960s Law That Blocks Medicaid Funds for Psych Care
> 4 Ways That 1115 Medicaid Demonstrations Can Address Health Equity
> A New Era In The Fight Over Medicaid Premiums
> Oregon Medicaid proposal includes kids-under-6 rule change, services for some inmates
> Diagnosis for 3.21.22: Checking the pulse of Florida health care news and policy
> Anthem sues former executive, alleging he divulged Medicaid secret
> Medicaid Income Limits and Spending By State
> Top Benefits, Challenges of NC Medicaid Managed Care Model
> CMS seeks feedback on addressing access, equity in Medicaid and CHIP
> Is Medicaid a state and federal partnership?
> Stable and Continuous Coverage Provisions in Medicaid Gain Momentum Through Build Back Better Act
> Improper Medicaid payments expand after ObamaCare and pandemic, studies find
> Bradley Ledgerwood might lose vital Medicaid insurance to manage his cerebral palsy
> Florida lawmakers pass Medicaid plan
> State Lawmakers Formed a New Committee to Explore Medicaid Expansion
> Schapiro’s Medicaid dental bill continues to advance
> Missouri takes months to process Medicaid applications—longer than law allows
> End of Public Health Emergency Triggers End to Medicare, Medicaid Flexibilities
> Illinois lawmakers propose expanding Medicaid
> Medicaid work requirements proposed
> Hospital leaders concerned as Florida lawmakers plan to cut Medicaid funding
> Florida group targets Kansas welfare reform for food stamps, Medicaid

Comment by: Jim Kahn

It’s stunning how much energy we put into managing, modifying, and monitoring Medicaid, our largest health insurance program for the poor, which operates separately and differently in each state, with limited finances and ambivalent attitudes. And how much reporting there is on all this commotion.

For those who exploit health care for profit and resist real reform, this complexity isn’t a bug, it’s a feature. It’s confusing and overwhelming, distracting from serious discussion of how to replace our fundamentally flawed financing system.

With single payer, the word “Medicaid” would disappear into the archives of history. The blizzard of press coverage about it would disappear too.

Indeed, the expression “health insurance program for the poor” would no longer have a meaning.

That’s what I call “equity”.