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Medicaid advocates in Nebraska have filed a lawsuit to try to force state officials to offer coverage sooner than the official 2020 rollout date. According to the lawsuit filed Wednesday by Nebraska Appleseed, the state will miss out on approximately $149 million in federal funding by delaying implementation of Medicaid expansion until Oct. 1, 2020. (Weixel, 8/28)

The suit asks the Nebraska Supreme Court to order state Medicaid officials to implement voter-approved Medicaid expansion by Nov. 17. That’s nearly a year earlier than the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services planned to start offering the coverage. The plans called for kicking off the new coverage on Oct. 1, 2020. (Stoddard, 8/29)

"Tens of thousands of Nebraskans are experiencing similar challenges as they wait for coverage," said James Goddard, director of Appleseed's economic justice program.The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced in April that Medicaid expansion for 90,000 uninsured Nebraskans would not be implemented until Oct. 1, 2020. (Walton, 8/28)

Aetna Better Health is struggling to keep its Medicaid contract with KanCare, to the point that state officials found fault with Aetna’s recent plan to improve services. But Kansas lawmakers had two words this week for the company: Keep trying. At a two-day hearing, health care providers told lawmakers how Aetna isn’t paying them on time. Aetna executives took responsibility for the shortfalls, which have put the company at risk of losing its contract after the state said it wasn’t in compliance and later rejected a proposal to fix the problems. (Koranda, 8/28)

In the weeks since the operators of nine nursing homes with high vacancy rates learned they stand to lose a total of about $6 million in Medicaid funding, concerns about closures, major job losses and trauma to elderly residents have intensified.All nine homes slated for cuts have filed appeals with the Department of Social Services, officials confirmed Wednesday. (Kovner, 8/28)