In Brief: Saint Anthony Challenges Illinois Regulators; Michigan Blues Grant $1 Million Plus To Clinics; Michigan Judge Stays Contraception Mandate
Saint Anthony Hospital Challenges Illinois Regulators
Chicago-based Saint Anthony Hospital is butting heads with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, claiming the agency is unlawfully holding back supplemental Medicaid payments.
According to hospital officials, Saint Anthony has had its supplemental payments withheld because it lacked a contract with a integrated care program contractor. The requirement was part of a new law intended to toughen up Medicaid guidelines passed by the state Legislature earlier in the year.
However, hospital officials claim that its current contracts with health plans suffice for the integrated care program contractor suffices and the agency is misinterpreting the regulations.
“The democratic leadership in the State of Illinois has suggested that it understands the plight of those challenged in these tough economic times, and the importance of providing fair access to health care for all," said Saint Anthony Chief Executive Officer Guy A. Medaglia. “Yet the actions by the HFS speak to the contrary, prioritizing state budget goals over healthcare for its citizens by enacting and enforcing unfair and punitive policies targeting safety-net hospitals.”
Michigan Blues Grant More Than $1 Million To Clinics
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has awarded more than $1 million in grants to safety net clinics throughout the Wolverine State as part of its “Strengthening the Safety Net” program.
Fifty clinics received grants of $15,000 apiece. Eight clinics also received an additional $50,000 to address gaps in the local safety net system. The larger grants were part of a competitive bidding process.
“As part of our ongoing social mission, our free clinic grant program continues to play a crucial role in Michigan's healthcare system, by providing quality healthcare to the uninsured, serving as a safety net for people who need it the most,” said
Lynda Rossi, BCBSM senior vice president of public affairs.
One clinic that won both grants, St. Vincent de Paul in Detroit, said it would use the money to expand the dental care it providers to city residents.
Judge In Michigan Stays Contraception Mandate
A federal lawsuit brought by a Michigan company that sells outdoor equipment has brought a temporary stay to a requirement in that state that employers offer health plans with mandatory contraceptive coverage.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Cleland ruled that although the Weingartz Supply Co. had only a modest chance of prevailing at trial, he would defer to the religious beliefs of its owners for now.
“The harm in delaying the implementation of a statute that may later be deemed constitutional must yield to the risk presented...of infringing the sincere exercise of religious beliefs,” Cleland wrote.
Weingatz’s owners designed its health benefits to adhere to their Catholic faith. They claimed not providing contraceptive coverage under the mandate of the Affordable Care Act would cost the company about $280,000 a year in penalties.
