More than 200,000 Iowans removed from Medicaid during the state’s eligibility review lost coverage for incorrectly filling out paperwork, failing to respond to the state or other procedural reasons. In some cases, those Iowans didn’t realize they needed to re-enroll for coverage under the state insurance program. As a result, local health officials at Broadlawns Medical Center say they often meet patients who only realize they lost their coverage until they were admitted for a hospital stay or were trying to refill a prescription. “Unfortunately, most patients do not know...

The Agency for Health Care Administration on Friday announced the names of the winning bids for the Medicaid managed care program. According to the announcement posted late Friday AHCA intends to award six-year contracts with the following plans: —Florida Community Care was awarded contracts in Medicaid Regions A, B, C, D and I for its comprehensive long-term care plus, HIV/AIDS and serious mental illness plans —Sunshine State Health Plan was awarded contracts statewide for its comprehensive long-term care plus, HIV/AIDS, serious mental illness plans and child welfare plans.

Justin Gibbs had finally gotten his high blood pressure under control with a combination of three medications. But after he had his Medicaid coverage terminated in December amid a nationwide eligibility review, he had to go without one medication for a week and a second for several days, sparking fears that the delicate balance would unravel. “I was concerned that my blood pressure would spike, and I wouldn’t have any way to regulate it,” said Gibbs, 53, a married father of four who works multiple part-time jobs. Fortunately, the Miamisburg,...

Critics are furious about Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s new plan to crack down on New York’s allegedly fraud-ridden $8 billion Medicaid homecare program. The governor and Heastie (D-Bronx) are said to be in agreement on overhauling the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program — which allows New Yorkers to get paid to take care of loved ones — as part of the ongoing state budget talks. The program currently operates using hundreds of businesses and non-profits that essentially work as payroll agents between Medicaid and CDPAP...

Pennsylvania’s supreme court ruled on Monday that a lower court must hear a case challenging a ban on the use of government-funded healthcare to pay for abortions, raising hopes among reproductive rights advocates for an expansion of abortion access in the state and the establishment of a constitutional right to the procedure. The case, brought by abortion providers in the state, challenged a decades-old state law barring Medicaid from covering abortions, arguing that it should be overturned because it violates the broader rights guaranteed by the state constitution’s Equal Rights...