Orange County, New York, Executive Steve Neuhaus said Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plan to boost state Medicaid spending comes at a cost to local taxpayers.

In her newly released state budget, Hochul proposes a stop to passing enhanced federal Medicaid dollars to 57 county governments; instead, the money will be used for increased state-level spending.

The proposed withholding is estimated to be $280 million in the coming fiscal year, according to an analysis by the New York State Association of Counties.

On Tuesday, as millions of Americans cast their ballots in the 2022 midterms, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in what could be one of the most consequential health care cases in its history. The defendants in Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County v. Talevski are asking the justices to fundamentally rework the Medicaid program, which provides health care to over 76 million low-income Americans.

Big money continues to roll into Georgia's governor's race even as Republican incumbent Brian Kemp and Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams have already blown through the records they set in 2018.

Abrams has raised nearly $98 million, according to reports filed with the state ethics commission, while Kemp has raised more than $69 million.

Abrams and Kemp filed their final periodic finance reports of the campaign Tuesday, for contributions through Oct. 25, but continue to file supplemental reports of large donations.

Craig Holman, a campaign finance and ethics expert, has long talked to reporters about issues of money, politics and conflicts of interest. His tart quotes often waft into the digital ether without further notice.

That changed last week, when he criticized Fair Fight Action, a politically powerful voting rights group, and its founder, Stacey Abrams, who happens to be running for governor of Georgia. Mr. Holman’s boss took notice.

Former Vice President Mike Pence took the stage Tuesday in Georgia to reinforce the main thrusts of Gov. Brian Kemp’s case for reelection against Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams, arguing that Kemp has been good for Georgia’s economy and Abrams is soft on crime.

Former President Bill Clinton took a shot at House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Wednesday, telling New York voters that McCarthy wants to cut Social Security and Medicare if given the opportunity.

Speaking at a campaign event for Democratic House candidate Josh Riley, Clinton said that Riley's opponent, Republican Marc Molinaro, wants to help McCarthy become House Speaker. He then made his claim about what McCarthy has planned.

Despite a strong push from President Biden's administration, few states are taking up the federal government's offer to help pay for abortions via Medicaid. 

Biden signed an executive order on August 3, aiming to provide for taxpayer-funded abortions.

However, few state Medicaid agencies are actually applying for federal assistance, according to a recent Politico report.

Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has reportedly finalized rules that prevent health care providers from billing the state's Medicaid program for gender-affirming medical treatments. 

Politico reported on Thursday that the agency added new language to Medicaid program rules stating that it would not cover services for the treatment of gender dysphoria, including sex reassignment surgery, puberty blockers or hormone therapies.

The outlet said the language will take effect on Aug. 21.

In her first year as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Chiquita Brooks-Lasure has overseen the expansion of government health coverage to a record number of Americans under Medicare, Medicaid and private Affordable Care Act exchange plans.

Now, she wants to keep them insured.

As many as 16 million low-income Americans, including millions of children, are destined to fall off Medicaid when the nation’s public health emergency ends, as states face a herculean mission to sort out who no longer belongs on rolls that have swollen to record levels during the pandemic.