D.C. officials plan $47M Medicaid payback after claims processor collapse

A collapse of the company that managed the District's Medicaid claims -- D.C. Chartered Health -- left health care providers without any way to be reimbursed for care they gave under the District's Medicaid program.

The Washington Post: Deal Pending On Chartered Health Plan's Unpaid Bills
Health care providers who have seen their bottom lines damaged by the collapse of D.C. Chartered Health Plan could be made whole by summer's end under a plan detailed Thursday by city officials (DeBonis, 6/27).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: DC Reaches Deal To Pay Back Health Providers After Collapse Of Medicaid Firm
The District of Columbia has reached a tentative deal to pay back health care providers who've been stuck with unpaid bills since the collapse of the company that managed the city's Medicaid claims. Mayor Vincent Gray announced Thursday that hospitals and community-based health providers will be reimbursed for $47 million in unpaid claims by the end of August (6/27).

In the meantime, Medicaid programs in other states make news --

The Associated Press: Mississippi House Votes To Renew Medicaid, Set Budget
The Mississippi House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to renew and fund Medicaid beyond this coming weekend, when the program has been set to expire. Bills also must pass the Senate, which is expected to act on today (Pettus, 6/27).

The Lund Report: New Clinic Serves Medicaid Patients Only
While Oregon Health Plan patients often report difficulty finding providers who will treat them due to low reimbursement rates, a physician in Umatilla County has bucked the trend – opening a clinic that serves Medicaid patients exclusively. The Pendleton Primary Care Clinic opened its doors in February and so far is open three days a week, staffed by Dr. Bruce Carlson, along with a nurse practitioner, receptionist and medical assistant (McCurdy 6/27).

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: State-Owned Hospital Asked To Pay Back $21.4 Million In Medicaid
An audit released today said Missouri should return $21.4 million in federal Medicaid payments made to a state-owned children's hospital in St. Louis County. The Federal Office of Inspector General report found Hawthorn Children's Psychiatric Hospital on Pennsylvania Avenue near Pagedale failed for nearly five years to fulfill regulatory requirements to qualify for the federal Medicaid reimbursements (Cambria, 6/28).

Los Angeles Times: Bill To Fine Big Firms With Workers On Medi-Cal Comes Up Short
A California proposal to fine large companies that have workers on Medi-Cal came up short in an initial vote in the Assembly amid strong business opposition. The proposed fines could reach about $5,000 per full-time employee who receives Medi-Cal, the state Medicaid program for the poor (Terhune, 6/27).