Medicaid changes eyed in Georgia, California and Connecticut

Georgia Health News: Task Forces To Discuss Report On Medicaid
State officials are creating two task forces to gather input on a consulting firm's report on the future of Georgia's Medicaid and PeachCare programs. One task force will involve medical provider groups, including representatives of hospital and physician organizations. The second grouping will review the Navigant report's recommendation to revamp services for the ''aged, blind and disabled'' populations (Miller, 2/8).

The Associated Press/Boston Globe: Governor Proposes Medicaid Changes
[Connecticut] Governor Dannel P. Malloy's new budget proposes to raise the eligibility threshold for low-income adults to apply for health insurance through Medicaid. It would to raise the current $1,000 asset limit for low-income adults applying for Medicaid to $25,000. The new proposed asset limit does not include a person's primary residence or single vehicle. Officials project that the proposed plan could save $30 million annually (2/9).

The Connecticut Mirror: Malloy To Add Funds To Private Human Service Providers, Nursing Home 'Right-Sizing'
The health and human services portions of Malloy's proposed budget adjustments include money to support an effort to move people out of nursing homes, fund nursing homes that consider providing long-term care to people leaving prisons and state institutions, add three childhood vaccines to the state's program and offer the first funding boost in five years to private human services providers (Levin Becker, 2/8).

Reuters: U.S. Rejects California Health-Care Copayment Plan
The government blocked an effort on Monday by California to reduce its health-care spending by requiring those enrolled in its Medi-Cal program for the needy to make copayments for medical services. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services informed California by letter that it was "unable to identify the legal and policy support" that would allow the state to require copayments to Medi-Cal under the Social Security Act (2/8). 

California Healthline: Same Providers In Healthy Families And Medi-Cal?
Yesterday's distribution of a summary of new Healthy Families data by the state Department of Health Care Services caused some advocates to scratch their heads. ... The new data indicate most providers and health plans in the Healthy Families program also serve Medi-Cal beneficiaries. DHCS director Toby Douglas said the health plans of the two programs "are all pretty much the same except for Blue Shield" (Gorn, 2/9).