Medicaid cut challenges will get a hearing in Arizona. “Three public-interest law groups challenged an enrollment freeze for childless adults in the state’s Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. A lower-court judge and an Arizona appeals-court panel upheld the cuts and state lawmakers enacted the freeze as part of $500 million in AHCCCS reductions to help balance the current-year budget.” – AZ Central
States test health care reform flexibility. Essential benefits, which must be offered by insurers in most policies sold to individuals and small businesses, are one of the key flash points in the federal health law. Patient advocates have called for a broad national standard covering a wide range of treatments, while business groups have said affordability must be a top consideration, even if it means a more limited package.” – Kaiser Health News
Texas gets approval for expanded managed care. “The five-year waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) allows [Governor Rick] Perry to move almost 1 million additional Medicaid enrollees into privately run managed care plans, while still pulling down billions in federal matching funds for hospitals.” – Kaiser Health News
Federal labor laws now cover home health care aides: “The move would boost living standards for nearly 2 million employees who help the elderly and disabled with daily tasks such as taking medication, caring for wounds or preparing meals. But some health service companies warned that higher pay could also mean higher costs for clients who can least afford it.” AP
FAQs about the “Doc Fix” dilemma: “For doctors, the nail-biter has become a familiar but frustrating rite. Lawmakers invariably defer the cuts prescribed by a 1997 reimbursement formula, which everyone agrees is broken beyond repair. But the deferrals are temporary, and the doc fix has become increasingly difficult to push through a divided and deficit-wary Congress. Last year, Congress delayed scheduled cuts five times, with the longest patch lasting one year.” – Kaiser Health News
