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Republican leaders of the Mississippi House killed a bill Wednesday that would have let mothers keep Medicaid coverage for a year after giving birth, up from the current two months. Supporters said extending coverage under the government health insurance program could help reduce Mississippi’s maternal mortality rate, which is significantly higher than the national rate. (Pettus, 3/9)

As hundreds of thousands of working Mississippians struggle to afford healthcare, state lawmakers have again decided not to consider Medicaid expansion and do not seem poised to do so anytime soon. (Royals. 3/9)

The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would make changes in the state’s Medicaid managed-care system as the Agency for Health Care Administration prepares to move forward with awarding billions of dollars of contracts. But the House and Senate remained at odds about part of the bill that deals with disputes between managed-care plans and “essential” providers, such as children’s hospitals and teaching hospitals. The House voted 77-38 to approve the bill (SB 1950) after making changes Monday. The bill will go back to the Senate as lawmakers try to end the annual legislative session as scheduled Friday. (3/9)

The Georgia House unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that would strip the prescription drug benefit function from Medicaid’s managed care companies. It’s the second House bill approved in as many days that targets financial practices of the three Medicaid insurers in Georgia. On Tuesday, the chamber passed mental health legislation (House Bill 1013) that would require these insurers to spend at least 85 percent of the dollars they receive in premiums on medical care and quality improvements. (Miller, 3/9)

South Carolina cannot cancel a Planned Parenthood affiliate’s status as a Medicaid-approved healthcare provider solely because the organization also offers abortions, a federal appeals court held Tuesday. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals insisted the case “is not about abortion,” but rather about a Medicaid patient’s right to choose any qualified provider – a right that was added to the federal statute 55 years ago. (Grzincic, 3/9)

Hospitals and providers say federal regulators should seek authority from Congress to require Medicare Advantage plans to pause prior authorization requirements during future public health emergencies. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services allowed MA plans to relax or waive prior authorization requirements for patient transfers to post-acute care facilities during 2020 due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. But as the PHE continued, many plans reinstated requirements for plan year 2021. CMS' proposed rule says hospitals have told the agency that more patient transfer flexibilities from MA plans could ease bed scarcity. (Goldman, 3/9)

A Ventura County doctor and a marketer from Lancaster were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of carrying out a hospice fraud scheme that netted more than $30 million from Medicare, federal authorities said. Dr. Victor Contreras, 66, of Santa Paula, and Callie Jean Black, 63, of Lancaster were arraigned Tuesday and pleaded not guilty, said Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office for the Central District of California. (Yee, 3/9)