State Policy
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- State Policy
States Enact Dozens of AI Healthcare Laws Covering Prior Authorization, Therapy
Becker's Hospital Review compiles 13 state healthcare AI laws enacted or taking effect in 2025 and 2026, drawing on a Manatt Health analysis showing lawmakers in 47 states introduced more than 250 AI healthcare bills in 2025, with 33 signed into law across 21 states. Highlighted laws include California measures protecting clinician judgment over AI tools and requiring bias mitigation in clinical decision support systems, Iowa and Texas laws restricting AI's role in prior authorization and requiring patient disclosure, and Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Maine laws governing AI chatbots and companions used in mental health care. Provisions generally require human oversight of AI-driven clinical and therapeutic decisions, patient disclosure and consent, bias monitoring, and crisis-response protocols for AI companions. Effective dates vary by state, with several laws already in force and others taking effect through 2026.
- State Policy · AL
Alabama Democrat Sneed Makes Medicaid Cuts Central to House Bid
Democratic challenger Andrew Sneed is running against incumbent Republican Rep. Dale Strong in Alabama's 5th Congressional District, a heavily Republican seat anchored in Huntsville. Sneed's platform centers on affordability, including opposition to Republican cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, alongside calls for broader political reform and criticism of Trump-era tariffs. Despite the district's R+15 rating from the Cook Political Report, Sneed outraised Strong in fundraising between April and June 2026. The race, with no primary history of competitiveness since 2010, will be decided in the upcoming midterm election.
- State Policy · AR
Sanders Medicaid Work Requirement Ad Sparks Backlash From Right
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a campaign ad touting the state's upcoming Medicaid work requirements, featuring an actor playing a Medicaid recipient named "Brad" eating snacks and playing video games on a bean bag chair. Rather than drawing criticism from the left as intended, the ad drew backlash from conservative commentators and influencers who objected to a white actor portraying the character. The episode, along with an unrelated public spat between President Trump and Sen. Tom Cotton, has drawn unwanted national attention to Arkansas's midterm races. Sanders has since released additional ads targeting Democratic figures as she works to keep her conservative base engaged ahead of November, with the state's Medicaid work requirements set to take effect in 2027.
- State Policy · MT
Montana Senate Candidates Clash Over Medicaid, Rural Hospitals in Debate
Four Montana U.S. Senate candidates, Republican Kurt Alme, Democrat Alani Bankhead, independent Seth Bodnar and Libertarian Kyle Austin, debated in Bozeman on Oct. 11 ahead of the Nov. 3 general election. Healthcare affordability was a central topic, with Bodnar defending Medicaid expansion and ACA subsidy renewal while criticizing recent federal law changes he said hurt rural hospitals. Alme countered that a Republican tax package delivered $50 billion in new rural healthcare investment, and repeatedly labeled Bodnar and Bankhead his "liberal opponents." The candidates meet again in Billings on Oct. 18.
- State Policy · AL
Alabama Governor Candidates Diverge on Medicaid Expansion Debate
In an Alabama Reflector commentary, the author argues that Alabama's political campaigns, including the governor's race between Democrat Doug Jones and Republican Tommy Tuberville, have lost a shared factual and policy framework, making candidate comparisons difficult. The piece notes Jones has repeatedly called for a debate with Tuberville, who has avoided it given his polling lead. The author contends a debate would force candidates to address shared questions, including how Jones would pursue Medicaid expansion against a likely hostile Legislature, a policy area he has proposed but faces steep legislative resistance. No debate has been scheduled, and the race proceeds roughly a month ahead of the election.
- State Policy · SD
South Dakota Ballot Includes Amendment to Curb Medicaid Expansion Funding
In a South Dakota Searchlight commentary urging voter turnout, the editorial board argues that this election's stakes, including four constitutional amendments, justify civic engagement despite Republican dominance in state races. Among the amendments is one described as a "back door method for getting the state out of funding expanded Medicaid," alongside measures on an unclaimed property trust fund, noncitizen voting, and raising the threshold for constitutional amendments to 60%. The piece frames the Medicaid-related measure as one of several consequential issues on the November ballot. Early voting is underway, with voter registration closing October 19.
- State Policy · CA
Newsom Endorses California Measure to Block Billionaire Tax
Gov. Gavin Newsom endorsed Proposition 42, a November ballot measure backed by Google co-founder Sergey Brin that would nullify Proposition 40's proposed billionaire tax and bar any future state wealth tax, including on retirement accounts and other personal assets. Prop. 40 would impose a one-time 5% tax on billionaires' assets, directing 90% of revenue to Medi-Cal, the state's low-income health program. Newsom's endorsement puts him at odds with his own party, labor unions including SEIU-UHW, and 2028 presidential rival Rep. Ro Khanna, who argue he is protecting wealthy donors at the expense of healthcare funding for millions of Californians. Voters decide both measures, along with 12 other propositions, in November.
- State Policy
NASHP Reviews Six States' Enhanced Care Coordination for Complex Kids
NASHP examines how Arizona, California, Michigan, Texas, Washington, and Washington, DC structure enhanced care coordination services for children with chronic and complex needs enrolled in Medicaid managed care. The brief analyzes state MMC contracts and policies across four areas: service provision, eligibility and risk stratification, care coordinator requirements, and care plan management. States are building tiered risk-stratification models, specialty MMC programs, and defined coordinator qualifications to serve high-risk pediatric populations. The analysis draws on contract language and program documentation, with detailed state-by-state findings in an accompanying appendix and chart.
- State Policy · NJ
Medicaid Cuts Become Flashpoint in NJ's 7th District House Race
Democratic challenger Rebecca Bennett and incumbent Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R) are clashing over Medicaid policy in New Jersey's competitive 7th Congressional District race. Bennett joined a bus tour organized by advocacy group Protect Our Care highlighting federal Medicaid cuts from the 2025 reconciliation law, which could push more than 350,000 people off NJ Family Care and cost the state over $3 billion annually in federal hospital funding. Kean, who voted for the law, defends it as necessary to protect long-term solvency of Medicaid and Medicare, citing projected federal spending growth. The race, seen as a national bellwether, underscores how Medicaid changes enacted last year are shaping 2026 midterm campaigns.
- State Policy · FL
Florida Lets DME Provider Enrollment Moratorium Expire
In a client alert, Polsinelli reports that Florida's temporary moratorium on enrolling new durable medical equipment providers in the state Medicaid program expired September 19, 2026, and the state will not extend it. The moratorium had blocked new DME providers from enrolling in Florida Medicaid, a measure typically used to curb fraud risk in a sector with documented billing abuse history. With the moratorium lifted, new DME suppliers can now apply for Florida Medicaid enrollment. The change affects DME suppliers seeking to enter the Florida Medicaid market and the managed care plans and providers that rely on DME network capacity.
- State Policy · OK
Oklahoma Hospital Uses Rural Health Funds to Restore Maternity Care
Newman Memorial Hospital, a critical access hospital in Shattuck, Oklahoma, plans to restore labor-and-delivery services next year after closing them in 2015, using funding from a federal rural health transformation initiative. Oklahoma received more than $223 million in first-year funding under the program, with Newman Memorial receiving $1.4 million through a state initiative aimed at improving local and specialty care access. The hospital is building a midwifery-forward model, pairing a certified nurse midwife handling low-risk births with rotating OB-GYNs for high-risk deliveries and surgeries, aiming to launch by early-to-mid next year. The effort comes as only 27% of Oklahoma's rural hospitals offer obstetric services and as nearly $1 trillion in federal Medicaid spending reductions over a decade loom, raising questions about the model's long-term sustainability.
- State Policy · NE
CMS's Oz Touts Nebraska Rural Health Funds, Early Work Requirements
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz joined Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen at the State Capitol to highlight the state's rollout of a federal rural health grant program, which has distributed $177 million of its $218.5 million first-year award. Oz framed the program, funded at $50 billion nationally, as an effort to offset harm to rural communities from Medicaid cuts in the 2025 federal budget law, though critics say the funding doesn't cover estimated rural Medicaid losses and hospitals remain strained. Nebraska HHS Director Steve Corsi also reported the state's early-implemented Medicaid work requirements have dropped 600 to 900 people from coverage since June, far below the 25,000 to 40,000 some analysts had projected. Oz praised the state's approach as a model for moving Medicaid recipients "into prosperity" through work and reduced program spending.
- State Policy · LA
CMS Approves Louisiana Medicaid Reentry Coverage for Incarcerated People
The Louisiana Department of Health announced that CMS approved a demonstration allowing Medicaid to cover healthcare services for incarcerated people in the 60 days before release, joining 18 other states with similar programs. Coverage includes a 30-day supply of medications, behavioral health assessments and treatment, lab and diagnostic services, and durable medical equipment like wheelchairs and CPAP machines. Services will launch at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in early 2027 before expanding to other state prisons and participating parish jails. The demonstration runs through September 2031, with CMS requiring the state to show good outcomes and costs that do not exceed standard Medicaid spending.
- State Policy · SD
SD Democrat Ahlers Discusses Medicaid in Governor Campaign Interview
South Dakota Searchlight profiles Dan Ahlers, the Democratic nominee for governor, running against incumbent Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden. The piece covers Ahlers' background as a small business owner and former state legislator, and notes a companion podcast interview in which he addresses Medicaid alongside abortion, tribal relations, climate change, and taxes. No specific Medicaid policy position or proposal is detailed in this profile article itself. The race is notable because Democrats have not held the South Dakota governorship since 1979.
- State Policy · KY
Kentucky Officials Announce $22M in Eastern Kentucky Development Funding
At the annual Shaping Our Appalachia Region Summit in Corbin, Rep. Hal Rogers and Gov. Andy Beshear announced $22 million in federal funding through the Abandoned Mine Lands Economic Revitalization program for projects across Eastern Kentucky, including healthcare facilities, emergency services, water infrastructure and economic development. Funded projects include $2.76 million for AdventHealth Manchester to purchase a surgical robot, $2.5 million to replace an Elliott County EMS facility, and funding for a Letcher County waterline serving Mountain Comprehensive Health Corp. During the event, Beshear reiterated warnings that federal Medicaid funding cuts under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act could close rural hospitals and end coverage for 250,000 Kentuckians, while Rogers voiced support for the Trump administration. The funding announcement is separate from but adjacent to Beshear's ongoing Medicaid policy concerns for the region.
- State Policy · IA
Iowa House Candidates Clash Over Tariffs, Tax Incentives, Medicaid Cuts
Democrat Lindsay James and Republican Joe Mitchell debated tariffs, tax policy and a $1.4 billion state tax incentive package for a planned $15 billion steel mill during their second "Iowa Press" debate for Iowa's open 2nd Congressional District seat. James, who voted for the incentive package as a state lawmaker, criticized federal tariff policy and the 2025 federal tax and spending law's Medicaid cuts as drivers of a cost-of-living crisis, while Mitchell credited President Trump's trade policies with attracting the steel project and reshoring manufacturing jobs. The candidates also disputed claims about campaign attack ads targeting each other's families. The race fills the seat vacated by Rep. Ashley Hinson, now running for U.S. Senate.
- State Policy · FL
Florida Surgeon General Defends Plan to Drop School Vaccine Mandates
At a rule workshop in Lake Mary, Florida State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said the Department of Health's push to eliminate four school and daycare vaccine requirements, Hib, hepatitis B, varicella, and pneumococcal conjugate, is driven by parental rights rather than vaccine science or safety concerns. These four vaccines are mandated only through DOH administrative rule, not state statute, giving the department authority to remove them without legislative action. Supporters at the hearing praised the move as "medical freedom," while opponents, including a parent and health advocate, warned that eliminating mandates could end insurance coverage for the vaccines and put uninsured low-income children, including those not covered by Medicaid, at greater health risk. The rulemaking follows a proposal published last year and a prior public meeting in Panama City Beach, with Governor DeSantis and Ladapo having announced intent to eliminate all vaccine mandates from state law.
- State Policy · IN
Indiana's Nine U.S. House Races Feature Medicaid in Campaign Debate
All nine Indiana congressional incumbents face challengers in the Nov. 3 general election, with healthcare and household costs emerging as campaign themes across races under the state's 2021 district map. In the 2nd District, Democratic challenger Jamee Decio has made protecting Medicaid and Social Security a central campaign message against Republican incumbent Rudy Yakym, while other races focus on affordability, federal spending and border security. Early voting began Oct. 6, and the outcomes will help determine control of the U.S. House. The piece, from a state news outlet, profiles candidates and platforms district by district rather than reporting any new Medicaid policy action.
- State Policy · GA
Obama Endorses Bottoms, Touts Her Medicaid Expansion Pledge
Former President Barack Obama released campaign videos Thursday endorsing Democratic Georgia gubernatorial nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms and Sen. Jon Ossoff ahead of November's election. In the Bottoms video, Obama highlighted her pledge to expand Medicaid, lower costs, strengthen rural hospitals, and eliminate grocery taxes, alongside her record as Atlanta mayor. Bottoms faces Republican Rick Jackson, a healthcare executive, in a race described as a tossup, with early voting starting October 13. Georgia is one of ten states that has not adopted Medicaid expansion, making the governor's race a key factor in the state's coverage policy going forward.
- State Policy · GA
Ossoff, Collins Clash Over Medicaid Cuts in Georgia Senate Debate
Georgia U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff (D) and Mike Collins (R) debated healthcare, the economy, and immigration Thursday in their first face-off ahead of November's election. Ossoff attacked Collins for supporting federal Medicaid cuts enacted through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, citing a labor and delivery unit closure at a hospital in Collins' district that he said cited the cuts. Collins countered by blaming Biden-era economic policies for inflation and criticized Ossoff on border security and tariffs. The candidates meet again Tuesday in another debate, with early voting also beginning that day.
