Fla. officials facing tight timeframe for Medicaid overhaul; Advocates in Ariz. threaten lawsuit on cuts

News outlets report on Medicaid issues affecting states.

News Service of Florida: Clock Ticking On Medicaid Overhaul Sell To Feds
Needing federal approval to overhaul the Medicaid program, Florida health officials have less than three months to develop a detailed plan to sell to the Obama administration. The state Agency for Health Care Administration faces an Aug. 1 deadline for submitting proposals to the federal government to try to transform Medicaid into a managed-care system. ... The Republican-dominated Legislature approved a two-bill Medicaid overhaul on the May 6 final day of the legislative session. Gov. Rick Scott is expected to sign the bills, though he has not formally received them yet (Saunders, 5/16). 

Related, earlier KHN story: Florida Pushing New Fees For Most Medicaid Recipients (Galewitz, 5/15).

Stateline: Illinois Faces Daunting Fiscal Challenge
The Illinois General Assembly has given itself five years to fix the state's dismal fiscal situation. It will be a painful five years. ... Lawmakers are considering changes to Medicaid, such as greater use of managed care for patients. But most of the proposals in this area are about improving patients' health in the long term (Vock, 5/19). 

The Hill: Feds Lay Out HIT Grant Requirements For State Medicaid Directors
Federal regulators on Wednesday sent state Medicaid directors a letter laying out the conditions for them to receive financial incentives to adopt electronic medical records, as called for in the 2009 recovery act (Pecquet, 5/18). 

The Arizona Republic: Lawsuit Looms Over Medicaid Cuts
A public-interest law firm preparing a suit against the state over planned Medicaid cuts could file a special action with the Arizona Supreme Court as early as Friday. Attorney Tim Hogan, who last month said he was inclined to wait until federal officials ruled on the plan, said Wednesday that an administrative rule since proposed by the state's Medicaid program has prompted him to move more quickly. The rule spells out the process for freezing or eliminating coverage for childless adults enrolled in the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. It's required under the fiscal 2012 budget approved by Arizona lawmakers and Gov. Jan Brewer, which would save more than $500 million through program and service cuts, provider payment reductions, benefits limits and mandatory co-payments (Reinhart, 5/19).