Medicaid

Texas state Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, revived his proposal for a Medicaid expansion program in case state or federal Republican leaders change their minds.

More than five dozen groups — including United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the Tarrant Area Food Bank — wrote in support of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission's request for $300 million to improve processing times for Medicaid and SNAP applications.

The request, which includes hiring more staff and updating the online application system, comes as applicants must wait for months to receive approval for benefits.

Texas officials acknowledged some errors after they stripped Medicaid coverage from more than 2 million people, most of them children. A ProPublica and Texas Tribune review of records shows that these mistakes and others were preventable.

After pandemic-era federal protections for Medicaid ended, Kansas started reviewing who was eligible for state health coverage. About 47% of the residents who lost insurance during that time were ages 18 or younger.

A new Medicaid extension goes into effect today that gives pregnant Texans twelve months of postpartum coverage.

Polls show a majority of Kansans want lawmakers to expand Medicaid, but Republican leaders are fundamentally opposed.

Gov. Laura Kelly’s likely doomed push for Medicaid expansion is aimed at setting the table before this fall’s election. But Republican leaders want to focus on other ideas, like cutting taxes.

The state agency that oversees Oklahoma’s Medicaid program, known as SoonerCare, will complete its Medicaid unwinding process by Dec. 31.

In Kansas, the number of severe complications during labor and delivery has increased. For moms of color or women enrolled in Medicaid, the numbers are even higher. One of the state’s Medicaid contractors is now providing doula services to help.