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A Health Policy Blog
Medicaid Work Requirements: News from the Litigation Front
It has been obvious for several months that the wheels have come off the Medicaid work requirements bus. The Secretary of HHS has approved “demonstrations” of work requirements in nine states; none of these states is currently implementing. And no state that accepts the 6.2 percentage point increase in its federal Medicaid matching rate made […]
COVID-19, State Budget Deficits, and Medicaid Managed Care
The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed not just death, but also massive unemployment and a steep recession. Among the economic casualties are state budgets, which have been knocked badly out of balance by the resulting drop in revenues and the prospect of increased enrollment in Medicaid and other safety net programs. Among those spared from the […]
News and Notes on Medicaid Prescription Drug Pricing and Coverage Issues
Unfortunately, Congress has largely shelved drug pricing legislation, including sound proposals to lower federal and state Medicaid drug costs, as it focuses on legislation responding to the ongoing COVID-19 health and economic crisis. Nevertheless, there have some developments in the area of Medicaid prescription drug pricing and coverage over the last few months that are […]
As Expected, Medicaid Enrollment is Starting to Increase
As I keep saying, Medicaid is a first responder to the COVID-19 pandemic with respect to both the health crisis and the ensuing economic crisis. With unemployment rapidly rising to double digits, it was only a matter of time until Medicaid/CHIP started to see enrollment increases. Medicaid enrollment has long been closely aligned with the […]
Taxing Medicaid Managed Care to Mitigate Medicaid Cuts
In many states, Medicaid is under budgetary siege. The steep recession brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has led to large revenue shortfalls and budget deficits, most notably an estimated $54 billion in California for the fiscal year ending June 30 and the next. States must balance their budgets, and they have only a few […]
CCF Welcomes Kansas and Kentucky to the Finish Line Network
We are excited to announce that two new states are joining the Finish Line project: Kansas and Kentucky. Leading these state efforts, Kansas Action for Children and Kentucky Voices for Health have experience promoting and advancing policies that have resulted in gains in health coverage for children and families in their respective states. The Finish […]