Medicaid: Ariz. expansion savings detailed; Kan. prepares for managed care approval

In Medicaid news, a report details how an expansion there would save Arizona money. And a Kansas official says a planned move of recipients to managed care is likely to be approved by federal authorities.

The Arizona Republic: Report: Medicaid Boost Would Save Arizona Money
Expanding Medicaid under federal health reform would save state tax dollars, create thousands of jobs and provide government-paid health care to hundreds of thousands of low-income Arizonans, according to a new report from a bipartisan think tank. Research from the Grand Canyon Institute, whose board includes former Republican and Democratic state lawmakers, shows that with a $1.5 billion investment over the first four years the state would collect nearly $8 billion in federal funding and insure an additional 435,000 people by 2017 (Reinhart, 9/26).

Kansas Health Institute News: Federal Officials Likely To Approve KanCare Plan, KDHE Official Says
A top official at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment today assured a legislative panel that efforts to secure federal approval for Gov. Sam Brownback's plan for privatizing almost all of the state's Medicaid programs appear to be going well. "I don't see it being rejected," said Kari Bruffett, KDHE's director of health care finance, testifying before the Joint Committee on Home and Community Based Services Oversight. Brownback's plan for remaking the state's Medicaid program is called Kancare (Ranney, 9/26).

Kansas Health Institute News: KanCare Benefit Packages Outlined
State officials today released a side-by-side comparison of the "value-added" packages being offered by the KanCare managed care companies. … The packages, [Bruffett] said, include different incentives aimed at promoting preventive dental care for adults, wellness checks, prenatal and postnatal doctor's office visits, smoking cessation, weight loss and exercise (Ranney, 9/26).

Modern Healthcare: Fla. Agency Rejects Feds' Claims About Care Of Disabled Kids
Florida's Agency for Healthcare Administration is defending itself against U.S. Justice Department allegations that it forced families to send their disabled children to nursing homes when they couldn't afford their care. "Florida cares about kids," agency Secretary Elizabeth Dudek said in a statement Tuesday evening. "Medicaid has a comprehensive medical service package that can accommodate any family who chooses to have their child at home..." (Kutscher, 9/26).