3 stories
A new study found that Medicaid expansion has not reduced firearm suicide rates among most men, despite documented improvements in health care access and behavioral health treatment availability for expansion populations. The research challenges assumptions about the relationship between Medicaid coverage and suicide prevention outcomes for male enrollees. The findings have implications for state Medicaid agencies and managed care organizations designing behavioral health interventions and measuring quality outcomes in expansion populations, particularly as states continue to evaluate the effectiveness of coverage expansions on mental health and mortality metrics.
Dogwood Health Trust, the independent monitor overseeing HCA Healthcare's 2019 acquisition of Mission Hospital in North Carolina, notified the state attorney general that HCA may be in noncompliance with the sale contract. The two potential violations involve a federal warning in October 2025 that Mission risked losing Medicaid and Medicare participation status, and a second undisclosed issue. The monitor's role is to enforce conditions negotiated when HCA purchased the hospital, which serves as a critical safety-net provider in western North Carolina. The attorney general's office will determine whether enforcement action is warranted.
North Carolina's attorney general says a last-minute federal rule change regarding Medicaid work requirements will impose significant costs on counties. Congress included a medically frail exemption in last year's federal Medicaid work requirement law for individuals with serious or complex conditions like cancer, Parkinson's disease, and cystic fibrosis. The state AG contends recent federal regulatory changes will shift financial responsibility for administering or monitoring these exemptions to county governments, resulting in millions of dollars in unexpected local costs. The timing and specific implementation details of the rule change are causing concern about counties' ability to absorb these new expenses.
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