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Posts tagged
'Arkansas works'

Chamber of Commerce is spending campaign cash to protect private option

The Chamber of Commerce is sending out mailers to back candidates who support the private option, the first time the Chamber has made independent expenditures in state legislative races.
IT Arkansas job board

Gov. Asa Hutchinson continues negotiations with feds on future of private option, says focus is not "punitive side"

The governor's downplaying of "the punitive side" suggests that the feds are holding their ground and we won't see a radical change in terms of how much the Obama administration is willing to bend for red states.
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Gov. Asa Hutchinson meets with federal officials today on future of private option; what he's asking for and how feds will respond

Gov. Asa Hutchinson is set to meet with officials from the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today to negotiate revisions to the private option, the state's unique version of Medicaid expansion. A look at the governor's big four asks — what they mean in terms of policy and what to expect in negotiations with the feds.

Q & A: Arkansas Surgeon General Greg Bledsoe on the future of the private option, with governor set to meet with feds Monday

With the governor and his team set to meet with federal officials in Washington on the future of the private option, I spoke with Surgeon General Greg Bledsoe on the negotiations in Washington, the political battle to come over Arkansas Works, and the future of health care reform in Arkansas.
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What's next for health reform task force

A look at the timeline for the Health Reform Legislative Task Force as it tackles the future of the private option and major reforms to the Medicaid program. Plus, the Medicaid reform plan will be scored against a baseline of 5 percent growth — is that the right figure to use?

The political strategy (and pitfalls) behind Asa Hutchinson's Medicaid spin

Gov. Aas Hutchinson is trying to bamboozle the legislature with his slippery rhetoric on Medicaid, but perhaps his spin is the best means to achieve two very challenging political lifts — continuing the private option and reforming the traditional Medicaid program. A look at the political considerations behind the governor's strategy, plus some reasons to be considered about the baloney narrative he's pushing as part of that strategy.
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Medicaid and politics

Task force says keep expansion, but make major cuts.

The Medicaid lockout: Gov. Asa Hutchinson's proposal to bar beneficiaries from coverage for six months if they miss premium payments

Here's a deep dive on the punitive "lockout" policy proposed by the Health Reform Legislative Task Force consultant and backed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Certain beneficiaries would be subject to small premiums, and if they failed to pay, they wouldn't just lose their health insurance — they would be barred from getting back on private option coverage for six months (even if they were willing to pay back what they owed for missed premiums). Hutchinson argues that beneficiaries need to face "consequences" if they fall behind on payments, but critics say it would threaten access to care, punish the poor, and lead to more uncompensated care.
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Americans for Prosperity slams Gov. Asa Hutchinson on private option

As I noted earlier today, Gov. Asa Hutchinson is hoping to add some conservative bells and whistles to the private option, but that doesn't change the fact that he is recommending a continuation of the Obamacare-funded Medicaid coverage expansion in Arkansas.  Americans for Prosperity-Arkansas, the conservative advocacy group that has poured millions of dollars into legislative races in the last two cycles, is not satisfied with Hutchinson's effort to re-brand.
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