Health News
- Advocates Of State Appeals For Medicaid Managed-care Claims Make Last-ditch Effort To Get It Passed, By Hijacking Another Bill
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Advocates of a bill to create a state appeals process for health-care providers to appeal decisions of Medicaid managed-care companies are trying to jam it through at the end this short legislative...
- Beshear Vetoes Prompt-pay Bill But Takes Several Steps To Address Problems In Medicaid; He And Haynes Say It's Working
Gov. Steve Beshear has vetoed the bill designed to make Medicaid managed-care firms pay health-care providers more quickly, but is taking administrative steps to address the issue. Beshear said he agreed with the intent of House Bill 5 but it might have...
- Legislature Eases Physician Assistant Rules; Nurse Practitioners' Prescription Power, Medicaid Prompt-payment Bills, Others Linger
By Molly Burchett and Al Cross Kentucky Health News The Kentucky General Assembly has joined other states in easing the restrictions on physician assistants? medical practice, but has held up a similar move for advanced registered nurse practitioners....
- House Sends Senate Pill-mill And Medicaid Managed-care Fixes
The state House yesterday approved without dissent two bills aimed at improving Kentucky's health care. House Bill 217 addresses some "unintended consequences" of last year's "pill mill bill" by easing some of the bills regualtions....
- Beshear Will Use Line-item Veto On Medicaid Bill To Remove Mandatory Cuts In Other State Programs And School Funding
Democrats appear to have prevailed in the State Capitol battle over the budget and Medicaid. (Update, March 25: Beshear issued the vetoes.) After the Republican-controlled Senate passed a budget fix that included mandatory spending cuts across state government...
Health News
Senate sends bill for prompt payment by managed-care firms to Beshear, who won't say whether he will sign or veto it
A bill aimed at resolving payment disputes between medical providers and Medicaid managed-care companies passed unanimously Monday in the Senate, and has been sent to Gov. Steve Beshear for his consideration.
House Bill 5, sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, would apply existing prompt-payment laws to managed-care firms and would set up an appeal process in the Department of Insurance to handle disputes between them and medical providers. Those claims are now handled by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which administers Medicaid and has had some problems with the bill.
Hospitals, doctors and other health-care providers have complained that the cabinet is not resolving their payment disputes with managed-care firms, putting many rural hospitals, clinics and health departments in serious financial binds. Mental health centers have also reported cutting back services.
Asked last night what he would do with the bill, Beshear said the cabinet "has worked with the managed-care organizations and health-care providers to reduce problems during the change, and many concerns have been addressed. However, I recognize that some issues persist. I will review this bill carefully.?
Beshear has 10 days, excluding Sundays, to decide whether to veto the bill, sign it into law or allow it to become law without his signature. Stumbo said that if bill is vetoed it would likely be House Bill 1 in the 2014 session, reports Jessie Halladay of The Courier-Journal. The bill is a top priority for many health-care providers.
House Bill 5, sponsored by House Speaker Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, would apply existing prompt-payment laws to managed-care firms and would set up an appeal process in the Department of Insurance to handle disputes between them and medical providers. Those claims are now handled by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which administers Medicaid and has had some problems with the bill.
Hospitals, doctors and other health-care providers have complained that the cabinet is not resolving their payment disputes with managed-care firms, putting many rural hospitals, clinics and health departments in serious financial binds. Mental health centers have also reported cutting back services.
Asked last night what he would do with the bill, Beshear said the cabinet "has worked with the managed-care organizations and health-care providers to reduce problems during the change, and many concerns have been addressed. However, I recognize that some issues persist. I will review this bill carefully.?
Beshear has 10 days, excluding Sundays, to decide whether to veto the bill, sign it into law or allow it to become law without his signature. Stumbo said that if bill is vetoed it would likely be House Bill 1 in the 2014 session, reports Jessie Halladay of The Courier-Journal. The bill is a top priority for many health-care providers.
- Advocates Of State Appeals For Medicaid Managed-care Claims Make Last-ditch Effort To Get It Passed, By Hijacking Another Bill
By Melissa Patrick Kentucky Health News FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Advocates of a bill to create a state appeals process for health-care providers to appeal decisions of Medicaid managed-care companies are trying to jam it through at the end this short legislative...
- Beshear Vetoes Prompt-pay Bill But Takes Several Steps To Address Problems In Medicaid; He And Haynes Say It's Working
Gov. Steve Beshear has vetoed the bill designed to make Medicaid managed-care firms pay health-care providers more quickly, but is taking administrative steps to address the issue. Beshear said he agreed with the intent of House Bill 5 but it might have...
- Legislature Eases Physician Assistant Rules; Nurse Practitioners' Prescription Power, Medicaid Prompt-payment Bills, Others Linger
By Molly Burchett and Al Cross Kentucky Health News The Kentucky General Assembly has joined other states in easing the restrictions on physician assistants? medical practice, but has held up a similar move for advanced registered nurse practitioners....
- House Sends Senate Pill-mill And Medicaid Managed-care Fixes
The state House yesterday approved without dissent two bills aimed at improving Kentucky's health care. House Bill 217 addresses some "unintended consequences" of last year's "pill mill bill" by easing some of the bills regualtions....
- Beshear Will Use Line-item Veto On Medicaid Bill To Remove Mandatory Cuts In Other State Programs And School Funding
Democrats appear to have prevailed in the State Capitol battle over the budget and Medicaid. (Update, March 25: Beshear issued the vetoes.) After the Republican-controlled Senate passed a budget fix that included mandatory spending cuts across state government...