State highlights: Insurer drop-out to affect 22,000 on N.Y. Medicaid managed care; Texas slow to recover misspent Medicaid funds

A selection of health policy stories from New York and Texas.

The Associated Press/Wall Street Journal: Excellus Dropping Out Of Medicaid Managed Care
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield says it's dropping out of public health insurance programs for the poor and disabled. The insurer has notified doctors and other providers it's withdrawing from the Medicaid managed care and Family Health Plus programs because it expects to lose about $100 million on those programs this year. The move will affect more than 22,000 central New Yorkers (10/15).

The Texas Tribune: On Dental Claims, State's Bark Worse Than Its Bite
Texans discovered nearly two years ago that the state was spending more on orthodontic claims in its Medicaid program than the other 49 states combined, but recovery of millions in purportedly misspent Medicaid money has moved slowly (Aaronson, 10/15).