Dems to CMS: Hold firm on Medicaid 'MOE' requirements

Meanwhile, a Government Accountability Office report finds that, although most physicians still accept some new Medicaid or Children's Health Insurance Program patients, a majority of primary care docs say they have difficulty finding specialists to provide care for young low-income patients.

CQ HealthBeat: House Democrats Urge CMS Against Caving To Pressure To Reduce Medicaid Rolls
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona and 41 other House Democrats have written a letter to top HHS officials urging them not to grant waivers to states permitting them to reduce Medicaid coverage levels beyond their right to do so under the health law. "We write today to reaffirm congressional intent for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 'maintenance of effort' (MOE) provision," the lawmakers said in the June 27 letter (Reichard, 7/1).

Modern Healthcare: Most Docs Accept Medicaid, CHIP kids; GAO Notes Referral Woes
The overwhelming majority of physicians are accepting at least some child patients enrolled in Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Plan, according to the Government Accountability Office. A GAO national survey of 932 physicians between August and October 2010 found that 91 percent of physicians accepted at least some new patients among the 42 million children served by the low-income public insurance programs in 2010. However, 66 percent of primary-care physicians had trouble finding specialty physicians for such child patients (Daly, 7/1).

Center For Public Integrity: Doctors Less Welcoming Of Children On Medicaid, GAO Finds
Low-income children relying on Medicaid or other government-funded health care have much more trouble finding a new doctor than children with private insurance, according to a Government Accountability Office report. That difficulty is amplified when it comes to specialty care, particularly mental health, dermatology and neurology (Wieder, 7/1).