Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
8 Red States Take Hard Line On Medicaid Work Requirement Exemptions
Democrats say the Trump administration鈥檚 new Medicaid work requirements 鈥 especially the narrow definition of who can get an exemption for medical reasons 鈥 are way too harsh. Conservatives contend they鈥檙e not tough enough, and have convinced some Republican-led states to be even stricter. (Ollstein and King, 8/9)
States unhappy about a new "medical frailty" provision in the Medicaid work requirement rule are continuing their fight over the rule in court. ... A hearing in the case has been scheduled for Oct. 20. (Frieden, 8/7)
Also 鈥
Families with disabled children in Indiana face Medicaid cancellations due to administrative errors and new assessments. (Kenney, 8/6)
Experts warn Medicaid cuts won't just hurt the uninsured 鈥 the effects could ripple through the entire health system. (Hwang, 8/7)
Scott Stewart, CEO of the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association, said the existing system for health insurance claims is not designed to indicate a person鈥檚 level of impairment or ability. 鈥淚t鈥檚 set up to say this is what a patient has, but it鈥檚 not set up to say anything more than that,鈥 Stewart said. 鈥淵ou have to really also think about the privacy aspects of that. Now you鈥檙e saying that I have to potentially give a patient鈥檚 chart, which they have to sign off on in terms of HIPAA, to say that they are medically frail and meet all definitions?鈥 (Kirwan, 8/10)
After a 125-mile trip on his powered wheelchair, Carl Schulze rolled up just before noon Thursday to the Wisconsin Capitol. (Gunn, 8/7)