Kansas officials promise smooth transition for Medicaid overhaul

In the meantime, Medicaid program changes and reforms in Virginia and Texas also make news.

Kansas Health Institute News: Officials Plan For Transition To KanCare
State officials and health insurance providers on Tuesday promised a smooth transition into KanCare, the proposed overhaul of Kansas' $2.9 billion Medicaid program. "There is nothing simple about Medicaid," said Joe Ewert, commissioner of survey and certification with the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services. But he and officials from the three health insurance companies signed by the state to administer the Medicaid program said providers would receive timely payments and beneficiaries would continue to receive services for which they were eligible (Sherry, 8/22).

Modern Healthcare: Va. Names HMS As Medicaid RAC
Virginia selected a recovery audit contractor with experience in the newly authorized fraud detection and prevention program for Medicaid. The state awarded a three-year Medicaid RAC contract to HMS, the New York-based wholly owned subsidiary of HMS Holdings Corp. The contract has three one-year renewal options, according to an HMS news release (Daly, 8/22).

The Texas Tribune: Proposed Medicaid Fraud Rules Worry Providers
The state's Health and Human Services Commission is seeking formal approval for new Medicaid fraud rules that doctors allege deny them due process and expand investigators' power to halt their funding. For months, HHSC's Office of the Inspector General has been increasingly relying on a federal rule -- part of President Obama's health care plan -- that allows the agency to freeze financing to any health provider accused of overbilling Medicaid (Ramshaw, 8/23).