Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicaid Lawsuit Aims To Force Biden To Unwind Waiver Allowed By Trump
Some now say TennCare is under threat because of changes made by the Trump administration that will last for a decade. Less than two weeks before President Joe Biden came into office, the Trump administration provided Tennessee a 10-year waiver that caps the state’s Medicaid funding. It also allows Tennessee lawmakers to use a portion of any federal cash they save from the program in other areas of the state. (McCausland, 5/7)
As they pledged to do for months, legislative Republicans tore apart [Wisconsin] Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' proposed 2021-22 budget. In a single vote Thursday, GOP members on the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee voted 12-4 on a party-line vote to remove more than 380 items from the governor's budget. ... For much of the meeting, the two sides traded barbs over a Democratic motion to restore the Medicaid expansion, which in this budget cycle, would give the state an additional $1.6 billion in federal dollars. (5/6)
North Carolina’s Medicaid program is shifting roughly two-thirds of its enrollees into managed care this summer, starting on July 1. In the process, thousands of enrollees — some of whom have never had to choose health insurance or a network — were thrust into a process that they many have found difficult and confusing. (Engel-Smith, 5/7)
A group that is seeking to expand Medicaid in South Dakota has lost its bid to refer a measure passed by the South Dakota Legislature aimed at making Medicaid expansion more difficult. The South Dakota Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Dakotans for Health cannot refer House Joint Resolution 5003 for a vote of the people because it is not a law. South Dakotans have the ability to refer laws passed by the Legislature to a vote, but the resolution doesn’t qualify, the court ruled. (Ellis and Sneve, 5/6)
In Medicare news —
CMS on Thursday increased Medicare payments for administering monoclonal antibodies to treat beneficiaries with COVID-19. According to the agency, Medicare's national average payment rate will increase from $310 to $450 for most healthcare settings. In addition, CMS will pay providers $750 for in-home monoclonal antibody infusions. The changes take effect immediately. (Brady, 5/6)
