In Brief: Michigan Moves Closer To Medicaid Expansion Compromise; Cleveland Clinic Greatly Expands EHR Capacity
Michigan Moves Closer To Compromise On Medicaid Expansion
Michigan lawmakers are moving closer to passing legislation that would expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
However, the proposal being debated in the GOP-controlled Michigan House of Representatives would bear a decidedly Republican stamp. It would include a 48-month lifetime cap on benefits for those adults with incomes between 100% and 133% of the federal poverty level. After 48 months of Medicaid enrollment, they would have the option of purchasing subsidized benefits on Michigan's health insurance exchange, or pay additional premiums to remain on Medicaid.
About 400,000 Michiganders would be eligible for Medicaid coverage under the ACA expansion. The federal government has agreed to pay 100% of the cost of the coverage between 2014 and 2016, and 90% in the years after.
The bill has been championed by House Speaker Jase Bolger, who has said he does not endorse lifetime entitlements for able-bodied adults. The proposal has been criticized by House Democrats, who say the cutoff is capricious and could endanger the lives of people with serious or chronic illnesses. Republicans have since modified the proposal to include other options.
The bill could be passed as soon as the end of this week. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would need to provide a waiver for the plan to move forward, although officials from the Michigan Health & Hospital Association have suggested that a waiver would be difficult to obtain for a lifetime Medicaid cap.
Study Suggests Minnesota Home Healthcare Providers Cut Be Hurt By Deep Medicare Cuts
A new report by the Minnesota Home Care Association suggests that Medicare's proposed repricing of home healthcare services could impact the state's providers.
According to the study by Dobson DaVanzo Associates and Avalere Health, if even marginal payment cuts of 0.5% a year are made, 18 states would have negative margins on their home healthcare services.
"Home healthcare provides cost-effective and clinically advanced healthcare services to the seniors of Minnesota, who will be put at risk if home healthcare is subjected to more Medicare funding cuts," said Jennifer Sorensen, executive director of the Minnesota Home Care Association. "Our community has been impacted by significant cuts in the last four years, which data show will put Minnesota Medicare margins at an all-time low."
About 32,000 Minnesotans receive home healthcare benefits via Medicare.
However, Minnesota's home healthcare sector would remain robust with minor cuts, and would still have a 7.2% positive margin by 2017 But the study noted that potentially deeper cuts of 3.5% to home healthcare payments would lead to negative margins for every state in the nation.
Cleveland Clinic Greatly Expands Info in EHRs
The Cleveland Clinic will vastly expand the information available in the online version of patients' electronic health records.
According to Cleveland Clinic officials, the expansion of the MyChart EHR includes after-visit summaries, a list of medications, allergies, immunization records, preventative care details, laboratory results, and radiology reports. It is expected to be rolled out later this year, and be completed by early 2014.
“It is our job to provide MyChart-activated patients with the tools and information they need to make informed decisions about their own healthcare, under the guidance and expert advice of their physicians,” said Toby Cosgrove, M.D., the Cleveland Clinic's chief executive officer.
Additionally, the Cleveland Clinic will automatically release pathology reports to patients, with secure access to both the results and their textual interpretation. The release of such documentation will be made after a brief delay to ensure patients will be able to hear the results directly from the patients.
