Federal authorities have instructed over 30 states to restore Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage for nearly half a million individuals, including children, due to a flawed computer program mistakenly deeming them ineligible. Meanwhile, the threat of a government shutdown looms as some House Republicans resist short-term spending measures. North Carolina plans to expand its Medicaid program, leaving only 10 states yet to follow suit. The White House warns of shutdown effects on health programs, while the Biden administration tackles healthcare costs and establishes the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The panel discusses these issues and more.
Federal authorities have issued directives to over 30 states, instructing them to reinstate Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program coverage for around half a million individuals, including children. This action comes after a faulty computer program mistakenly deemed them ineligible, marking another setback in the ongoing year-long process of reevaluating beneficiary eligibility following the conclusion of the pandemic-era expansion of the program.
In the midst of this, there’s the looming threat of a federal government shutdown, with a small group of House Republicans resisting even a short-term spending measure to keep operations running beyond October 1st. While many major federal health programs, like Medicare, have alternative sources of funding and wouldn’t be severely affected initially, nearly half of the Department of Health and Human Services workforce would face furloughs, jeopardizing various essential functions.
This week’s discussion panel includes Julie Rovner from KFF Health News, Rachel Roubein from The Washington Post, Sandhya Raman from CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith from Pink Sheet.
Key takeaways from this week’s developments include:
– North Carolina has announced its plans to expand its Medicaid program starting December 1st, extending health coverage to thousands of low-income residents. With this change, only 10 states remain that have not expanded their Medicaid programs. However, given the resistance seen in these states despite federal incentives, it’s unlikely that more will follow suit anytime soon.
– The federal government has disclosed that nearly half a million individuals, including children, across at least 30 states had their health coverage wrongly terminated during the Medicaid review process. This revelation underscores the limited information shared by state and federal officials regarding this ongoing effort, though some Democrats in Congress have been more outspoken in their criticisms.
– The White House highlights the potential repercussions of a government shutdown on health programs, including challenges in enrolling new patients in clinical trials at the National Institutes of Health and conducting food safety inspections at the FDA.
– Americans are facing a surge in COVID-19 cases, prompting the Biden administration to announce the distribution of a new round of free test kits by mail. However, difficulties accessing updated vaccines and uncertainties about masking requirements underscore the challenges of responding to the pandemic without a more coordinated government effort.
– The Biden administration is taking steps to address healthcare costs at the executive level. The White House initiated the process to ban medical debt from affecting credit scores, with the Federal Trade Commission filing a lawsuit targeting private equity’s involvement in healthcare.
– Additionally, the White House has established its first Office of Gun Violence Prevention, led by Vice President Kamala Harris.
In other news this week, Julie Rovner interviews Samantha Liss from KFF Health News, who reported on the latest KFF Health News-NPR “Bill of the Month,” which delves into a hospital bill that haunted a deceased patient’s family for over a year.
