State Medicaid Directors seek to sway feds on eligibility rules

In a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the state officials made recommendations about new regulations and asked for coordination between federal and state leaders. Meanwhile, in other Medicaid news, a New York doctor gets a big payout from his whistleblower lawsuit, and the Lousiania program reports a shortfall. 

Kansas Health Institute News: Medicaid Directors Comment On Proposed Federal Eligibility Regulations
The comments, submitted to Dr. Donald Berwick, administrator for the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, included a long list of recommendations or requests and called for maximum coordination and collaboration among federal and state agencies as major new portions of the Affordable Care Act are implemented. ... the association urged federal officials to: Reconsider some implementation deadlines and to work with states on contingency plans in the event the currently scheduled timelines aren't met (11/1). 

CQ HealthBeat: CMS Should Plan For Delayed Opening Of Exchanges, Groups Say
State officials and insurers are urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to begin planning for delays in launching some functions of health insurance exchanges under the health care law, saying that short time frames and limited vendor capacity to create the marketplaces make such planning prudent. The National Association of Medicaid Directors said, in a comment on proposed requirements for exchange determinations of Medicaid eligibility, that "for many states the combination of diminished state capacity and limitations on vendor expertise ... present a significant challenge to meeting the statutory deadlines" (Reichard, 11/1).

The New York Times: For Whistle-Blower In Medicaid Suit, Finding Guidance In Parents And Capra
It has not always been a wonderful life for Dr. Gabriel Ethan Feldman. … His determination to do the right thing paid off on Monday, when he was awarded $14.7 million from a $70 million settlement in a Medicaid fraud case against New York City. When his mother heard about the award, she said: "Good. Now I hope you'll get married," Dr. Feldman, 50, said Tuesday (Hartocollis, 11/1).

The Associated Press/Times-Picayune: Louisiana Medicaid Program Has $127 Million Shortfall
Louisiana's Medicaid program for the poor, elderly and disabled has a nearly $127 million state funding shortfall, the health department announced Tuesday, saying it would use one-time federal cash and reshuffle other funds to fill much of the gap. The Department of Health and Hospitals also will add new hurdles and tighten prior authorizations for people who want to receive mental health rehabilitation treatment, and DHH will try to slow enrollment in programs that provide home- and community-based services to the elderly and disabled (11/1).

HealthyCal: 'Meet The Pharmacist' Event Helps Seniors Manage Medications
For years, California seniors have been toting their pharmaceuticals into "Meet the Pharmacist" events for one-on-one help with their daily medicine regimens. ... Demand for the events is on the rise, organizers say. ... Nearly $2 billion in pending slashes to Medi-Cal could put low income residents, including seniors, at further risk. The cuts call for increases in patient co-payments for doctors' visits and caps on doctors' visits each year (Clock, 11/2). 

The Connecticut Mirror: HUSKY Expanding, At Least In Name
Currently, the majority of Medicaid clients are part of the HUSKY health program, which covers low-income children and their parents or guardians. HUSKY also covers children and teens whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, part of the federal Children's Health Insurance Program. The state also runs two other Medicaid programs (Levin Becker, 11/1).