Tag Archives: Medicaid

FL Sues Biden Admin To Kick Children Off Medicaid

Axios reports: Florida is suing the Biden administration over a new policy limiting when states can remove children from public health insurance programs. The lawsuit challenges the implementation of a law requiring states to let kids remain eligible for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program for 12 straight months before reviewing their status, regardless of life changes that mean …

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Biden To Push For Medicaid Expansion In SOTU Address

Axios reports: President Biden’s State of the Union address will include calls for insulin cost caps for privately insured patients and a renewed bid to close the Medicaid coverage gap in Republican-controlled states that haven’t accepted the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion. The push to expand health coverage to millions of low-income people in 11 red states by closing the …

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Nearly 1M Floridians Set To Lose Medicaid Coverage

The Miami Herald reports: Almost a million Floridians are slated to lose their Medicaid coverage starting in April once the federal COVID-19 emergency comes to an end. Florida is one of 11 states that did not expand Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act, which means tens of thousands of Florida families are expected to fall into the Medicaid access gap. …

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Mississippi Supreme Court Tosses Entire Ballot Initiative System Because State Lost House Seat In 2020 Census

The Mississippi Free Press reports: The Mississippi Supreme Court today killed the medical-marijuana program that 68% of Mississippi voters approved in 2020, and with it, the state’s entire ballot-initiative process. The ruling means that voter-driven efforts to adopt early voting and expand Medicaid in the state are also now dead. The language of the law says that citizens collecting signatures …

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Biden To Ax Trump-Era Medicaid Work Requirement

The Washington Post reports: The Biden administration is planning Friday to wipe out one of the core health policies of the Trump era, taking actions that will immediately rescind permission for states to compel poor residents to work in exchange for receiving Medicaid benefits. Federal health officials will withdraw their predecessors’ invitation to states to apply for approval to impose …

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Missouri Becomes Sixth Red State To Expand Medicaid

Forbes reports: Voters in Republican-leaning Missouri supported a ballot measure to extend Medicaid benefits to more than 200,000 low-income adults in the latest vote testing the popularity of the Affordable Care Act during the Covid-19 pandemic. The vote by a narrow margin of Missourians to expand Medicaid under the ACA is a political blow to Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who …

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Appeals Court Rules Against HHS On Medicaid/Work

Politico reports: A federal appeals court on Friday ruled against Trump-approved Medicaid work requirements, the latest legal setback to the administration’s efforts to remake the safety net health care program. A three judge panel in a unanimous ruling said HHS didn’t have the authority to require some Medicaid enrollees to work in order to receive coverage. The decision, which upheld …

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Trump Budget: Deep Cuts To Medicaid, Food Stamps

The New York Times reports: President Trump released a $4.8 trillion budget proposal on Monday that includes a familiar list of deep cuts to student loan assistance, affordable housing efforts, food stamps and Medicaid, reflecting Mr. Trump’s election-year effort to continue shrinking the federal safety net. The proposal, which must be approved by Congress, includes additional spending for the military, …

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Trump Goes After Obamacare Via Medicaid Grants

Politico reports: CMS Administrator Seema Verma plans to issue a letter soon explaining how states could seek waivers to receive defined payments for adults covered by Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion, according to seven people with knowledge of the closely guarded effort. An announcement is tentatively slated for the end of next week, more than one year after Verma and her team …

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SCOTUS Rejects Bid To Defund Planned Parenthood

Reuters reports: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday dealt a setback to Louisiana and Kansas, turning away their appeals of lower court rulings that blocked their efforts to end public funding to Planned Parenthood, a national women’s healthcare and abortion provider, through the Medicaid program. The justices’ decision to turn away both states’ appeals leaves intact lower court rulings that …

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KENTUCKY: GOP Governor Cuts Medicaid Benefits For 500K Residents After Losing Battle In Federal Court

The Louisville Courier reports: Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration has abruptly cut Medicaid dental and vision benefits to nearly half a million Kentuckians, prompting an outcry from Democrats who called the Republican governor’s decision “rash.” Louisville Democrats will hold a press conference Monday to denounce the decision over the weekend to cut benefits after Bevin’s Medicaid overhaul plan was rejected Friday …

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MAINE: GOP Gov. Paul LePage Vows To Block Medicaid Expansion Despite Successful Ballot Measure

Talking Points Memo reports: Maine voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to become the first state in the nation to expand Medicaid by ballot initiative, approving the measure by a nearly 20-point margin. But Republican Gov. Paul LePage, a vehement opponent of Medicaid who has vetoed expansion bills five times since the Affordable Care Act became law, is threatening once again to …

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Proposed Trump Budget Slashes Medicaid, Food Stamps

The Hill reports: President Trump will propose massive cuts to the Medicaid program for fiscal 2018, according to a budget document posted by the Department of Health and Human Services. In total, the budget proposes cutting Medicaid spending by $610 billion over 10 years. That’s on top of more than $800 billion in cuts called for under the House-passed ObamaCare …

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Tom Cotton: Able-Bodied Poor People Don’t Deserve Medicaid, They Should Buy “Market-Based Insurance”

Raw Story reports: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) on Sunday called on “able-bodied” poor people to be removed from Medicaid. CNN host Jake Tapper noted during an interview on State of the Union that Republican governors had criticized House Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) plan to repeal Obamacare because it would reduce funds for Medicaid, leaving millions without medical coverage. Cotton declared …

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Bernie Sanders Trolls Trump With His Own Tweet: Just Admit You Were Lying Or Leave Medicare Alone [VIDEO]

SUH-NAP. Via Gizmodo: The Senate is currently debating the repeal of Obamacare. And since Senators love their visual aids, it makes sense that Bernie Sanders brought one along with him to work today. But Bernie’s sign marks the dawn of a new era in a lot of ways. He literally just printed out a tweet from President-elect Donald Trump. To …

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Rick Scott Posts Revenge Clip Against Critic [VIDEO]

The Wrap reports: Way to spend those tax dollars, Florida. After a video of a woman cursing him out in a coffee shop went viral this week, Florida Governor Rick Scott decided to unleash his own retaliatory clip on the world — and his very vocal critic. The video, titled “Latte Liberal Gets an Earful,” begins with a brief replay …

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FLORIDA: Ranting Woman Confronts “Asshole” Gov. Rick Scott Over Refusal To Expand Medicaid [VIDEO]

Holy CRAP, is this great. Via Salon: What would you do if had a chance encounter with the one politician you most disdained? What would you say if you ran into your governor at your local Starbucks? Lake Worth resident Cara Jennings recognized Florida Governor Rick Scott as she worked at her local Starbucks in Gainesville on Tuesday. In a …

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LOUISIANA: Bobby Jindal Out, Gov. John Bel Edwards In, 100,000 Residents To Gain Access To Medicaid

Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards was sworn in yesterday and as Bobby Jindal hits the exit things will immediately get better for the state’s impoverished families. Via Daily News Bin: Edwards says that he’s signing off on Medicaid expansion this Tuesday. That means at least 100,000 low-income residents of Louisiana will gain access to health care immediately. The Affordable …

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John Oliver On Medicaid Expansion [VIDEO]

Last night John Oliver ripped into Republican leaders who oppose expanding Medicaid coverage in their home states. Raw Story recaps: According to Oliver, 20 Republican-led states opted out of accepting what is essentially free money from the federal government in order to provide needed health care for residents who can’t afford health insurance. One state that has had overwhelming success …

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Former Staffers Accuse AIDS Healthcare Foundation Of Massive Kickback Scheme

According to a press release published by lawyers representing former AIDS Healthcare Foundation staffers, the combative organization has engaged in a massive patient referral kickback scheme that has defrauded the federal government to the tune of $20M a year. The press release begins: Three former managers of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Inc. (AHF) have filed Federal and Florida State Whistleblower Act …

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