La. Officials Say Several Hundred People Now Getting Life-Saving Treatment Through Medicaid

La. Officials Say Several Hundred People Now Getting Life-Saving Treatment Through Medicaid

Louisiana health officials point to specific examples of treatment for breast cancer, diabetes and colon cancer screening to highlight Medicaid expansion efforts. In other news, the ACLU sues Colorado for its policy denying some Medicaid enrollees hepatitis C treatment, and insurers sue Pennsylvania over a Medicaid contract.

The (Baton Rouge, La.) Advocate: Medicaid Expansion Enrollment Tops 300K In Louisiana
Louisiana leaders say that hundreds of residents newly added to the state's Medicaid rolls have received potentially life-saving treatment since the health care program was expanded earlier this year. Twenty-four women are getting breast cancer treatment after positive screenings, 160 adults have been diagnosed with diabetes and are receiving treatment and more than 100 patients had polyps removed after they were found during colonoscopies. ... More than 305,000 adults have been been added to Medicaid since the state expanded eligibility for the health care program in July. (Crisp, 9/19)
 

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Louisiana Medicaid Expansion: 10 Things John Bel Edwards Wants You To Know
Two and half months after Medicaid expansion came to Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration is touting figures that show people are taking advantage of broader access to health care. ... Louisiana is the first state in the Deep South to implement Medicaid expansion, but the 31st state in the nation to adopt the program. (O'Donoghue, 9/19)
 

Denver Post: ACLU Sues Colorado Medicaid Over Denial Of Treatment For Thousands Of Hep C Patients 
Colorado’s Medicaid department was slapped with a federal class-action lawsuit Monday led by a Denver man denied treatment for the life-threatening hepatitis C virus because he has government insurance. ... Colorado covers the 12-week, $40,000 prescription only for people whose livers have reached stage two in scarring, on a scale of zero to four. (Brown, 9/19)
 

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Aetna, Three Other Firms Appeal Long-Term Care Loss In Pa.
Four losing bidders have protested the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services' award last month of three-year contracts to manage long-term care for Medicaid beneficiaries, the agency said Monday. Pennsylvania's Community HealthChoices represents a major overhaul of how the state pays for  nursing home stays, home care, and other supports for the elderly and the physically disabled older than 21. The affected population totals about 420,000, including 120,000 to 130,000 seniors. (Brubaker, 9/19)
 

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