THE GAZETTE ONLINE AND PRINTABLE VERSIONS AVAILABLE AT HTTP://AHCA.BULLETINNEWS.COM DATE: MONDAY, APRIL 7, 2014 8:00 AM EDT TODAY’S EDITION AHCA/NCAL in the News Commentary Considers ACA. ....................................................... 7 Research Team Develops New Nursing Home Care Quality Louisiana Scholar Says Jindal Pitching Old GOP Healthcare Measure. ............................................................................... 1 Junker. .................................................................................. 8 Scholar Says Vermont’s Healthcare, Progressive Party Are Affordable Care Act/Health Reform Implementation Instructive For Nation. .......................................................... 8 HHS: Nearly Three Million People Added To Medicaid Rolls Since ACA Launched. .......................................................... 2 Medicare News Sebelius Due To Testify On 2015 Budget For Senate House Democrats Urge HHS To Rethink ACA’s Cuts To Committee. ........................................................................... 2 Medicare Advantage. ........................................................... 8 For Americans Who Have Not Signed Up For Insurance, Next Obama Criticizes Ryan Budget Plan In Weekly Address. ............ 9 Chance Likely This Fall. ....................................................... 3 Advocates Tell CMS Not To Expand Competitive Bidding Facing ACA Deadline, More Young People Signed Up In Program. ............................................................................... 9 March. ................................................................................... 3 AMGA Representatives Say Push For Permanent Fix To SGR House Republicans Quietly Sought Expansion OF ACA Will Continue. ........................................................................ 9 Coverage Choices. ............................................................... 3 Industry News Strategists Say Senate Democrats Need To Shift From ACA To Report: More Nursing Homes Need Tornado Shelter Economy In Election. ............................................................ 3 Specifications. ....................................................................... 9 Pelosi Dismisses Gibbs Claim That ACA’s Employer Mandate Federal Suit Holds Nursing Home Responsible For Hep C Will Be Scrapped. ................................................................. 4 Outbreak. ............................................................................ 10 Paul Ryan Confident ACA Can Still Be Repealed. ....................... 4 Report: Los Angeles County Health Department Had No State Exchanges Consider Fixes. ................................................. 4 “Central Oversight.” ............................................................ 10 Medicaid Expansion Debates Remain Largely Unchanged. ........ 6 Medicare Extends Policies To People In Same-Sex Marriages. 10 Kentucky Jail Signs Up Exiting Inmates Under ACA’s Expanded Groundbreaking Ceremony Held For Future Florida ALF. ......... 10 Medicaid................................................................................ 6 California Legislators Push Bill Tightening Nursing Home In California, 800,000 Medi-Cal Applicants Caught In Computer Regulations. ........................................................................ 10 System Mismatch. ................................................................ 7 Minnesota Home To Replace Dormitories With Cottages. ......... 10 ACA Leads To Closing Of New Jersey Low-Cost Health Ryan Budget Would Make Changes To Medicaid. ..................... 10 Insurance Program For Kids. ............................................... 7 Investigation Into Louisiana’s Canceled Medicaid Contract Fact Checker Examines Obama’s Claim ACA Opponents Have Slow. ................................................................................... 10 Spent “Billions.” ..................................................................... 7 MHCA Hosts Annual Golden Age Games. ................................. 10 Blog Examines CBO’s Original ACA Enrollment Projection. ........ 7 Construction Begins To Replace Texas Nursing Home. ............ 10 Author Offers Tips To “Get The Most” Out Of ACA Plans. ........... 7 New Media Venture Launches Feature Explaining ACA. ............. 7 151K) reported that several researchers believe they have AHCA/NCAL IN THE NEWS developed “a way to measure how tightly nursing homes supervise their doctors,” which could possibly improve results Research Team Develops New Nursing Home for nursing home residents. They defined the metric with three broad categories, including “credentialing, formal Care Quality Measure. Provider Magazine (4/5, Myers, attachment to a nursing home, and oversight of the doctors,” which they published in last month’s Journal of the American The New York Times (4/5, Pear, Subscription Medical Directors Association. According to AHCA head of Publication, 9.65M) reported the government’s numbers “are quality initiatives David Gifford, “We take these studies consistent with estimates by independent experts,” but they seriously. And if the evidence supports more emphasis on “do not include people who signed up last month, following a credentialing, then we will certainly look to fold that into our huge publicity campaign by President Obama and other best practices training.” officials.” The Washington Post (4/5, Sun, Millman, 4.22M) AFFORDABLE CARE ACT/HEALTH reported that state increases showed “a wide variation.” Arizona, for example, increased its enrollment by almost REFORM IMPLEMENTATION three percent, while Oregon posted an increase of almost 35%. Other big enrollment gains among states that expanded HHS: Nearly Three Million People Added To their programs were made in West Virginia, Colorado, and Medicaid Rolls Since ACA Launched. Over the Arkansas. Without expansion, “Florida had the biggest weekend through Monday, several major outlets carried news increase – 8.2 percent. Montana ranked second with a 6.9 that through the month of February, nearly three million percent increase, and Idaho was third with a 6.6 percent people enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health jump.” Insurance Program (CHIP). As USA Today (4/7, O'Donnell, The Miami Herald (4/5, Chang, 822K) reported the 5.82M) explains, this increase was “probably spurred by the Florida’s enrollment was up by 245,000 people, “despite the Affordable Care Act deadline of March 31 and improvements Florida Legislature’s refusal to expand Medicaid.” in state and federal insurance exchanges.” According to the Among states that expanded their programs, Politico article, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius “used the numbers (4/4, Haberkorn, 73K) reported that West Virginia had a to tout the benefits of expanding Medicaid” under the 33.5% gain, Vermont had a 32.3% gain, while Colorado was Affordable Care Act, writing in a blog post, “There’s no up 22.8%. Kaiser Family Foundation Medicaid expert Diane deadline for states to expand, so we’re going to keep working Rowland said of the gains, “Medicaid enrollment is going in with the remaining states as they decide to come on board. the right direction, and state people are signing up and Not only is expanding Medicaid coverage helping many enrolled. ... This isn’t over because it is a whole year’s people gain health coverage, it’s a good deal for states.” experience.” The AP (4/5, Werner) noted that the Medicaid total The Wall Street Journal (4/5, Dooren, Subscription combined with the more than seven million people who used Publication, 5.51M) noted that Sebelius said Friday in a blog healthcare exchanges to find private insurance “allows post that she expects higher numbers after March enrollment Administration officials to boast that the nation’s new health figures come in. care program has already covered 10 million uninsured Addition coverage was offered by the Washington Americans even in the face of unflagging Republican Times (4/4, Howell, 455K), the National Journal (4/4, Novack, opposition.” In the blog post Friday, Sebelius added that there Subscription Publication, 561K), Forbes (4/4, 6.28M), the was “more work...left to do” on Medicaid, which does not Kaiser Health News (4/4, Galewitz, 2K) “Capsules” blog, NBC have a sign-up deadline. The AP notes that “the News (4/4, Fox, 7.5M), CNN (4/4, Luhby, 77.95M), CNBC Congressional Budget Office has estimated that 8 million (4/4, Mangan, 31.28M), and Modern Healthcare (4/4, Demko, Americans will sign up for Medicaid” by year’s end. Subscription Publication, 224K). Bloomberg News (4/5, Chen, 2.76M) reported that HHS In state-specific coverage, the AP (4/4, Chereb) said about 19% of the population, or 61 million people, were reported that in Nevada, the program grew “nearly 118,000 enrolled in Medicaid through February, with a monthly from a year ago,” and the Tacoma (WA) News Tribune (4/6, enrollment increase of 5.2% from pre-ACA averages. In the Shannon, 338K) reports from Washington state. 26 states that expanded their programs, enrollment was up Sebelius Due To Testify On 2015 Budget For by 8.3%, “compared with 1.6 percent in states that didn’t.” Sebelius said the Administration would “keep working with the Senate Committee. The Hill (4/4, Cox, 237K) reported remaining states as they decide to come on board.” in its “Floor Action” blog that HHS Secretary Kathleen Reuters (4/5, Morgan) reported the Administration said Sebelius is scheduled to testify Thursday before the Senate the number of people who qualified for both Medicaid