- N. J. Medicaid fiasco: Thousands stranded without coverage, no fix in sight, By Kathleen O’ Brien, December 23, 2014, Star-Ledger: “The doctor was perfectly clear after examining Aurora Blackwell’s son this fall: The boy needed to get to an emergency room for his worsening digestive problems. Instead, Blackwell took the 4-year-old home and treated him herself — first with prune juice, then suppositories. Why would the devoted young mother of two ignore her pediatrician’s advice? Because the Burlington County woman knew that despite 10 months of phone calls, emails and letters, her family still lacked health insurance. ‘I feel helpless,’ she’d written two months earlier in a plea to Gov. Chris Christie. ‘How much longer do we have to wait?’ The meltdown of the federal government’s website tied to the Affordable Care Act has been well documented. But in New Jersey, something far worse was happening as the state expanded Medicaid access under Obamacare, an NJ Advance Media investigation has found…”
- Medicaid extension again on Kasich agenda, By Catherine Candisky, December 23, 2014, Columbus Dispatch: “Nearly one year after Ohio expanded Medicaid coverage for poor adults, Gov. John Kasich again faces uncertainty as he seeks approval from the Republican-led legislature to extend new eligibility guidelines for two more years. The governor and other supporters say lives are at stake. As of October, more than 430,000 poor Ohioans had gained health coverage under the expansion paid through federal funding available through the Affordable Care Act…”
Tag: Computer systems
Medicaid Programs – Oregon, California
- Oregon to use Kentucky Medicaid system, By Saerom Yoo, December 9, 2014, Statesman Journal: “The Oregon Health Authority will import Kentucky’s online Medicaid enrollment system, marking the second phase of the state’s transition in the face of last year’s Cover Oregon technology mess. OHA Medicaid Director Judy Mohr Peterson made the announcement to legislators in the Capitol on Monday, saying the Kentucky exchange system has been successful, that it has the kind of functionality Oregon needs and that the state has a similar Medicaid population to Oregon…”
- California managed-care pilot program meets resistance, By Anna Gorman, December 6, 2014, Washington Post: “California’s initial efforts to move almost 500,000 low-income seniors and disabled people automatically into managed care has been rife with problems in its first six months, leading to widespread confusion, frustration and resistance. Many beneficiaries have received stacks of paperwork they don’t understand. Some have been mistakenly shifted to the new insurance coverage or are unaware they were enrolled. And a third of those targeted for enrollment through Nov. 1 opted out, indicating they will stick with their traditional coverage. Prompted by the Affordable Care Act, the federal government is trying to streamline services and cut costs for the 9 million Americans who are in both Medicare and Medicaid. A dozen states have received grants to launch pilot projects, and five are enrolling participants — Virginia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Illinois and California…”
Unemployment Insurance System – Tennessee
Unemployment fix could take two years, By Chas Sisk, April 24, 2014, The Tennessean: “Although state officials have known about problems in the state’s unemployment insurance program for more than a year, outside observers say it could take them at least two more to straighten things out. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development says it already has begun to address mistakes raised in an audit of the program, some of them coming up for the second time…”