Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sharp Public Criticism Prompts Tennessee To Revise Medicaid Block Grant Plan
State officials will make some revisions to a plan to overhaul TennCare after sharp criticism at public hearings this month, but the public won't find out what those changes are until after the plan is in the hands of the federal government. TennCare spokeswoman Sarah Tanksley said Monday the agency will not release its revised plan for a Medicaid block grant until the day the proposal is submitted to the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS. (Kelman, 10/28)
An algorithm that dictates assignment of many Medicaid patients to health plans could cause another high-stakes tussle among plans that have received an estimated $90 billion worth of contracts to manage care in Florida鈥檚 Medicaid program. The state Agency for Health Care Administration submitted a report this month outlining options the Legislature could consider to make the process more 鈥渆quitable鈥 for health plans. (Sexton, 10/28)
A group of community health centers is suing the state for failing to pay them for the cost of providing certain services to low-income individuals who are uninsured. The lawsuit filed Monday in federal court says the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state鈥檚 Medicaid program, is required to reimburse 鈥渇ederally qualified health centers鈥 for the costs of all services provided. That, the lawsuit says, includes not just care provided by doctors but also services furnished by dentists, podiatrists, optometrists and chiropractors. (Fischer, 10/28)
