Latest news with #FamilyHealthCenters
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Kentucky families must renew Medicaid for first time since pandemic. Here's what to know
Starting in July, thousands of families across Kentucky must again renew their Medicaid enrollment— a process one local health provider warns could leave some without necessary insurance coverage. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kentucky halted annual Medicaid renewals, allowing participants to automatically be reenrolled. In 2023, the state ended that policy, requiring Medicaid recipients to go back to submitting enrollment paperwork every year — except for those in the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP). KCHIP is a free health insurance program for families with an income at or under 218% of the federal poverty level — or up to $70,000 per year for a family of four. Children under 19, pregnant mothers and mothers within one year of postpartum are eligible to receive KCHIP coverage. When recertification resumed in 2023, the state introduced several flexibilities to ensure vulnerable populations could remain covered, including extending automatic renewal for KCHIP participants. The goal was 'simplify the renewal process, reduce inappropriate terminations and allow the state to manage the increased workload,' according to a document from the Kentucky Department of Medicaid Services. Now, that flexibility is ending, meaning thousands of Kentucky families will start receiving notices to update and recertify their Medicaid eligibility. Here's what to know. Families will get a letter when it's time to recertify and should watch for notices by mail, phone and email. There are also several ways to check Medicaid eligibility and recertify if needed. Visit Call 855.4kynect (855.459.6328) to speak with a caseworker. Visit your local Department for Community Based Services office. Contact a state kynector for assistance through Once enrolled, coverage lasts for 12 months. Even if changes make families ineligible for the program, children retain coverage for the year. Families can miss notifications to reenroll for a lot of reasons, said Bart Irwin, CEO of Family Health Centers, a nonprofit primary care provider with locations across Louisville. Maybe they've changed addresses, incorrectly filled out paperwork or missed deadlines — but that doesn't mean they are not financially eligible for Medicaid or KCHIP. "There's a connection that if parents or caregivers lose Medicaid, it's highly likely a child will lose Medicaid too," Irwin said. "I don't quite understand the connection, but one [reason] I would think is that if the parents miss the opportunity or don't respond correctly to the state's inquiry on their own behalf, it's likely they're not going to on their child's behalf, too." If someone does not respond to a renewal by the deadline, they will be unenrolled from coverage. KCHIP participants and families can call 855-459-6328 as soon as they learn they are unenrolled for lack of response. If they are determined eligible within 90 days of termination, coverage may be rolled back to the day of termination. Irwin said recertification for the KCHIP program could artificially deflate Medicaid rolls, similar to when the state stopped automatic enrollment for adults on Medicaid in 2023. Between April, when recertification restarted, and December 2023, Jefferson County saw more than 28,500 drop off the program's rolls, according to data from the Cabinet of Health and Family Services. Children make up a substantial portion of Medicaid recipients in Jefferson County, with over 108,000 kids receiving coverage. A third of Family Health Centers' Medicaid patients are children under 19. "It would be the same process as going through our kynectors and helping them redo certification, we know they're eligible, right?" Irwin said. "It's going to be the bureaucratic process that's going to harm the kids. It's missing the letter, or not putting the right information in, or forgetting some information, that's what's going to knock kids off." Reach reporter Keely Doll at kdoll@ This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky families must again renew Medicaid. Here's how to recertify
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Michelin to remove access to health centers for retirees
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – Starting next year some Michelin retirees will lose access to health centers they have been using for years. Michelin North America, which operates multiple manufacturing facilities and a corporate office in the Upstate, confirmed Monday that, beginning in 2026, Michelin Family Health Centers will only be available to active employees and their dependents. For years, Michelin has operated health clinics at certain facilities, offering primary care, urgent care, lab services, exams and preventative health programs. The clinics have historically been available to all employees, retirees and their dependents. 'We recognize that this change may impact retirees who have utilized these facilities, and we are dedicated to making this transition as smooth as possible,' said the company in a statement. 'Retirees will continue to have access to all other providers covered under their health plans, along with the additional benefits that reflect our core value of respect for people.' Retirees will continue to have access to Michelin Family Health Centers through January 1, 2026. The company said it recently informed 'eligible retirees' of the change. You can read the company's full statement below. 'At Michelin, we are committed to supporting our employees and their families. Recently, we informed eligible retirees that, effective January 1, 2026, the Michelin Family Health Centers — onsite medical facilities at select U.S. locations — will be available exclusively to active Michelin employees and their dependents.' 'We recognize that this change may impact retirees who have utilized these facilities, and we are dedicated to making this transition as smooth as possible. Retirees will continue to have access to all other providers covered under their health plans, along with the additional benefits that reflect our core value of respect for people.' Michelin Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
23-04-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Appeals court rules against Florida in Medicaid payment dispute
A federal appeals court Tuesday sided with a Southwest Florida health-care provider in a years-long dispute with the state about payments for treating patients in the Medicaid program. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district judge's decision in favor of Family Health Centers of Southwest Florida, which filed the lawsuit after the state Agency for Health Care Administration largely rejected a request for an increased Medicaid reimbursement rate. The non-profit Family Health Centers is what is known as a federally qualified health center, with more than half of its patients in the Medicaid program, according to Tuesday's ruling. Generally, federally qualified health centers are designed to provide primary care to underserved populations. Family Health Centers has sites in Lee, Charlotte and Hendry counties, its website shows. Family Health Centers sues state over Medicaid reimbursement increase for expanded services The legal dispute involves a complicated formula that the state uses to determine how much to reimburse federally qualified health centers for treating Medicaid beneficiaries. The ruling said federal law requires states to reimburse the centers on a per-patient basis for certain services. Family Health Centers in 2019 requested a boost in its reimbursement rate, saying it had increased services in the region. Tuesday's ruling said the state rejected the "bulk" of the request, leading to Family Health Centers filing the federal lawsuit. The dispute centered on part of a federal law that required states to raise reimbursement rates when federally qualified health centers have an increase in the "scope" of services. "For instance, Family Health argues that, among other things, the 'range' or 'extent' — and thus the 'scope' — of an FQHC's services increases when it, say, cares for a sicker population of patients (who need more services and higher-level treatment), offers new 'treatment modalities' (e.g., a fluoride regimen added to routine teeth cleanings), purchases more advanced equipment or adds new service locations," said Tuesday's ruling shared by Judges Robin Rosenbaum, Kevin Newsom and Nancy Abudu. But the state argued for a narrower interpretation of the "scope" of services, saying it applies to the addition or elimination of services, the ruling said. Appeals court backs clinic's interpretation The appeals court, in a 10-page main opinion, backed the Family Health Centers' interpretation and the district judge's order for the state to develop a new Medicaid plan. "Although the issue is certainly not without complexity, we hold that the district court correctly ruled that the ordinary meaning of the phrase 'any increase... in the scope of such services' encompasses more than just the addition of a new service," the appeals-court panel said. "As the district court observed, the term 'scope' can mean the 'range' or 'extent' of something. As so defined, the phrase 'increase... in the scope of such services' might include any of a number of service expansions other than the addition of an entirely new service."
