Medicaid

Health & Safety

After Midterm Defeat, Advocates For Montana's Medicaid Expansion Turn To Legislature

4:17pm November 08, 2018

by Eric Whitney

If a funding extension can't be hammered out in the Montana Legislature, the state could be the first to undo an expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

"Most of us are ecstatic" about Medicaid expansion in Utah, said Grant Burningham, of Bountiful. "We were all together and hugging and kissing last night."

A Winning Idea: Medicaid Expansion Prevails In Idaho, Nebraska And Utah

2:02pm November 07, 2018

by Alison Kodjak

Voters in Idaho, Utah and Nebraska approved ballot initiatives to expand Medicaid, overcoming roadblocks that had kept an estimated 300,000 people from obtaining coverage.

Amanda Cahill, a supporter of Montana's tobacco tax measure, I-185, at a press conference near the state capitol last August. Tobacco firms have spent $17 million in opposition to the initiative, compared to an $8 million campaign by those in favor of it.

Big Tobacco Spends Big To Block A Tax And Medicaid Expansion In Montana

9:45am November 02, 2018

by Eric Whitney

If the state's ballot initiative to fund Medicaid's expansion passes, it will mean a $2-per-pack increase in taxes on cigarettes and a new tax on electronic cigarettes.

Grant Burningham, who lives in Bountiful, Utah, worked to get a referendum on Medicaid expansion on the Utah ballot in November.

Voters In 4 States Set To Decide On Medicaid Expansion

1:10pm October 31, 2018

by Alison Kodjak

Ballot initiatives in Utah, Nebraska and Idaho will determine whether to expand Medicaid, after legislators refused to do so. Montanans will vote on whether to keep the state's expansion intact.

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Health & Safety

North Carolina Finally Gets Medicaid Waiver For Managed Care

2:25pm October 25, 2018

by Associated Press

North Carolina has finally obtained official federal government approval to shift the state's Medicaid program to a managed-care system.

Organizers with Idahoans for Healthcare have been driving this green vehicle around the state to campaign for Medicaid expansion.

Republican Gun Store Owner And Legislator Campaigns For Medicaid Expansion In Idaho

5:01am October 23, 2018

by Phil Galewitz

Idaho is one of three conservative states where voters will decide in November whether to buck the GOP's resistance to the Affordable Care Act and implement its Medicaid expansion for adults.

When one of Jose Nuñez's retinas was damaged by diabetes in 2016, the Los Angeles truck driver expected his Medicaid managed care policy to coordinate treatment. But Centene, the private insurer that manages his policy, gave him the runaround, he says, a

Private Medicaid Plans Receive Billions In Tax Dollars, With Little Oversight

5:25pm October 18, 2018

by Chad Terhune

More than two-thirds of Medicaid recipients are enrolled in privately run Medicaid managed care programs. Yet the evidence is thin these contractors improve patient care or save the government money.

Massachusetts wanted to negotiate prices and stop the use of some of the most expensive drugs in its Medicaid program. The federal government said no.

Health & Safety

A Setback For Massachusetts In States' Drive To Contain Medicaid Drug Spending

5:39pm September 12, 2018

by Martha Bebinger

Massachusetts planned to exclude expensive drugs that weren't proven to work better than existing alternatives from its Medicaid plan. Medicaid drug spending had doubled in five years.

"We would not be able to foster without Medicaid," says Sherri Croom of Tallahassee, Fla. Croom and her husband, Thomas, have fostered 27 children in the past decade. They're pictured here with four adopted children, two 18-year-old former foster daughter

Health & Safety

Foster Parents Often Struggle To Find Doctors To Treat The Kids In Their Care

7:20pm August 22, 2018

by Phil Galewitz

Foster children can have extraordinary health needs. Some states are testing a coordinated approach to care to keep these kids from slipping through the cracks.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, is eager to preserve an expansion of Medicaid that he pushed through, despite opposition from other members of his party.

Health & Safety

Ohio Gov. Kasich Stumps Again In Support Of Medicaid Expansion

6:50pm August 21, 2018

by Karen Kasler

An analysis by the state shows Medicaid expansion has cut in half the number of uninsured Ohioans. Most recipients said the expansion made it easier to find work and care for their families.