Tagged: Medicaid

A technology firm hired by the state says the planned expansion of Kentucky’s Medicaid program and the push to help the uninsured get health coverage will likely worsen the state’s shortage of physicians.

Gov. Steve Beshear announced earlier this month that he will expand the state’s Medicaid program to cover an additional 300,000 people, most of them working poor who don’t have insurance coverage.   He’s also ordered the creation of the health benefits exchange to help more than 300,000 others get coverage.

The Indiana Senate Public Health Committee is advancing a proposal to expand Medicaid using the state's health savings account plan.

The panel voted 9-3 today to request that the federal government allow Indiana to use its Healthy Indiana Plan to cover the roughly 400,000 residents who would qualify under an expansion.

The measure, which has the backing of Gov. Mike Pence, now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee.   A similar proposal has been introduced in the House.

House Speaker Greg Stumbo has filed a bill to move complaints about late payments in Kentucky's Medicaid system from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to the Department of Insurance.

Health care providers—such as hospitals and doctor's offices— have complained about severely late payments since the managed care system started. Currently, the cabinet deals those issues that arise when one of the state's Medicaid operating companies delays payment to a health provider.