MHPA commends Congress for improving state Medicaid programs

Thomas L. Johnson, President & CEO of Medicaid Health Plans of America (MHPA), the leading trade association solely focused on representing Medicaid health plans, issued the following statement after the House voted Sunday night on both the Senate and Reconciliation bills:

"Congress has made a historical commitment to providing access to health care for 16 million low-income Americans through expansion of the Medicaid program. The bills also maintain and strengthen health coverage for kids through the Children's Health Insurance Program."

"We applaud Congress for extending prescription drug rebates to states for Medicaid health plan enrollees. This ends a long-time disparity in law that disadvantages states from receiving additional rebates for drugs simply because Medicaid beneficiaries are in Medicaid health plans. We believe this is a tremendous improvement in the administration of state Medicaid programs and will help improve care coordination and the quality of health care for Medicaid members."