In Brief: Minnesota moving to bar convicted nurses; MO lawmakers ponder Medicaid expansion

Minnesota Moves To Bar Convicted Nurses

The Minnesota Department of Health Services is moving to bar more than 100 nurses from providing direct care to patients after details of their criminal pasts surfaced.

Altogether, Minnesota DHS will move to bar 107 nurses from providing care. The decision came after an investigative report by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune determined that 294 nurses had criminal histories that should disqualify them from providing patient care. The number was reduced after the state DHS performed a separate investigation.

The Star-Tribune stood by its reporting, claiming that its records include an examination of the state's online court system, known as the Minnesota Court Information System.

“What we’re seeing in your data is that there are people on whom we did a background study, and who later offended, and we didn’t know about it, because we didn’t repeat a background study,” said Minnesota DHS Inspector General Jerry Kerber. “And some of those offenses are even in the serious categories of (criminal sexual conduct).”

Among the crimes unearthed by the Star-Tribune were nurses with addictions regularly stealing drugs from their employers. More than 100 nurses were found to have engaged in drug-related offenses or were impaired with drugs while on the job, but were able to keep their licenses as the result of entering into a special diversion program.

To date, the Minnesota Board of Nursing has taken action against 31 of the nurses identified. In the past, it relied on the veracity of statements supplied by applicants that they had no criminal backgrounds. It will begin performing criminal background checks starting in 2014, officials said.

Missouri Considering CHIP Cut As Part Of Medicaid Expansion

A proposal floated by Missouri lawmakers would cut back the State Children's Health Insurance Program eligibility to middle-income households in order to help expand the Medicaid program.

State Rep. Jay Barnes, a Republican suggested that those families receiving SCHIP coverage earning more than 150 percent of the federal poverty level pay a premium to retain the coverage or purchase family coverage through the state's health insurance exchange. Barnes chairs the House Interim Committee on Medicaid Transformation.

"I'm comfortable with saying the state of Missouri should not pay for health insurance for a family that makes 300 percent of the federal poverty level," Barnes said.

Barnes proposal has met some resistance from lawmakers both inside and outside his party, noting that it could unfairly penalize children who have no say in the income management of their households.

Legislation coalescing around Barnes's proposal has not yet been introduced into the Missouri Legislature.