Medicaid

A crowd of more than 200 people packed a hearing room in Wichita Monday to sound-off about Governor Sam Brownback's plan to privatize the state's Medicaid system.

The Kansas school finance trial enters its third week. A plan to replace Medicaid in Kansas drew criticism at its first public hearing.  It’s a double dose of Shakespeare in Kansas City.  That & more news from KCUR.

Kansans can speak out on proposed changes to the Medicaid program.  The Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services tries to identify elder abuse cases.  It’s a daily roundup of headlines from KCUR.

A new temporary committee has been created in the Missouri House to examine how the Governor’s Office of Administration awards government contracts. 

*5/13/12 Update*: Judge Drumm has dismissed the case. Molina is evaluating its grounds for appeal.

A main part of Missouri’s Medicaid program is at the center of a lawsuit right now.

Rural brokers deal with fallout after a major derivatives broker collapses.  Kansas Governor’s office is waiting to hear back from the federal government on plans to overhaul Medicaid.  It’s a daily digest of headlines from KCUR.

Shortly after hundreds of Kansans converged on the Statehouse to oppose one aspect of Gov. Sam Brownback’s Medicaid reform plan, the governor has acceded to their demands—at least partially.

Hundreds of developmentally disabled Kansas residents and advocates for them have rallied at the Statehouse against part of Gov. Sam Brownback's plan to overhaul the state's Medicaid program.

Some lawmakers believe the Kansas Legislature will try to amend a plan to overhaul the state's Medicaid program.

Public hearings on NBAF start in Washington, D.C.  The city council approves a new development deal for the Antioch Shopping Center.  These stories and more from KCUR in a daily digest of headlines.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback says his plan to overhaul Medicaid is underway, since a deadline for lawmakers to reject the order has passed.

Gov. Jay Nixon is calling on the Missouri House to restore health care funding for blind people after a committee voted last week to cut the program from next year’s budget.

A daily digest of headlines from KCUR:
Possible Tornadoes Rip Through Midwest, Kansas Lawmakers Could Slow Brownback’s Medicaid Plan & more top headlines.

Legislators could soon take action aimed at slowing Governor Sam Brownback's plan to overhaul Medicaid in Kansas.

Kansas has received bids from five private managed care organizations seeking a share of the Kansas Medicaid program.

A daily digest of headlines from KCUR:
Redistricting Agreement For Missouri Senate Reached, Council Delays Decision On Anti-Nuke Initiatives & more top headlines.

Members of a Kansas Senate committee today questioned officials on Governor Sam Brownback’s plan to cut costs in the Kansas Medicaid system.

Children’s Mercy Hospital is officially out of the Medicaid HMO business.  The hospital has finalized the sale of its non-profit plan after more than a decade of operation.

Family members and caregivers of Kansans with developmental disabilities are not happy with the Brownback Administration’s plan to include them in the new managed care approach to Medicaid services called KanCare.

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• Kansas Families Worry About Medicaid Changes for Developmental Disability Care

By Bryan Thompson, Kansas Public Radio

Salina, KS – Less than five years after it was created, the Kansas Health Policy Authority is on the chopping block. Governor Sam Brownback wants to abolish the agency, and merge its programs into the Department of Health and Environment.

The Brownback administration says doing so would save nearly $3 million dollars in administrative costs. With a budget of almost $1.5 billion, it's one of the largest operations in state government.

Kansas City, MO – Major problems exist when it comes to health in the U.S...whether it be fragmented care or preventable diseases. That's according to Dr. Donald Berwick, head of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. Dr. Berwick shared these concerns with area health leaders on a stop in Kansas City yesterday. But as KCUR's Elana Gordon reports, Dr. Berwick said major improvements are also possible right now.

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By Stephen Koranda, KPR

Topkea, KS – The Kansas Health Policy Authority is continuing to chip away at a backlog of applications for the Medicaid program.

Last month there were more than 17,000 applications that had been waiting at least 45 days. That's down by about 2,000 applications from the month before.

Overall, however, the system is still pretty jammed. New and old applications combined, the backlog reached a peak of about 33,000 in October.

Jefferson City, MO – Some Missouri lawmakers are questioning the way Medicaid benefits are doled out.

Currently, three state agencies -- The departments of Social Services, Health and Senior Services, and Mental Health -- disperse the bulk of Medicaid payments to clients.

Ryan Silvey of Gladstone, the incoming House Budget Committee chair, says that may have to change.

Kansas City, MO – The state of Kansas is experiencing a record enrollment in its Medicaid program.

As of this summer, about 290,000 Kansans were signed up. That's more than the state's ever had on the rolls before.

The increase is highlighted in a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. It looked at Medicaid trends across the country over the past decade.

It found that enrollment increased in every state between December 2008 and 2009.

Topkea, KS – Kansas Governor Mark Parkinson returned from a trip to Washington D.C. recently, where he and a coalition of governors urged Congress to extend federal payments that help support the Medicaid program.

The joint state/federal health program benefits aged, low-income and disabled Kansans.

Federal stimulus legislation has helped pay a bigger chunk of the program in recent years than usual. State lawmakers have assumed that would be extended, and built the funding into the state budget for this fiscal year.