Latest news with #StateMedicaid
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Former NBA player rallies behind NJ bill to cover stuttering treatments
TRENTON, N.J. – His voice resonated with New Jersey lawmakers, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist testified for a bill designed to help people like him who stutter. The former NBA player from New Jersey was joined by two children, Benji and Ari, who also stutter, in making their voices heard. More Local News 'I have been judged a lot as an athlete and also as a person,' Kidd-Gilchrist testified to lawmakers. 'For us who stutter, as an adult and as kids, at times, it's very, very hard and challenging for us to be understood.' If passed into law, the bill would require health insurers and State Medicaid to provide coverage for medical expenses for treating stuttering, which includes rehabilitative speech therapy, whether in-person or virtual. 'I do see it as a human thing, you know?' said Kidd-Gilchrist. 'It's not an 'R' thing, it's not a 'D' thing.' While Kidd-Gilchrist's testimony echoed through the halls of the State House, his advocacy has spanned far beyond the walls in Trenton; the longtime Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets player had his voice heard in the Capitols of Pennsylvania, where he was born, and in Kentucky, where he went to college. 'Speech therapy exists, yes people can pay for this. There is also a really large cost associated with that,' said the bill's primary sponsor, Assemblywoman Alixon Collazos-Gill (D-NJ 27th District) .'That's also one of the hurdles – that even if we know that those therapies exist, the financial hurdle is pretty significant.' The bill advanced through the Assembly Financial Institutions and Insurance, or AFI, Committee last Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Department of Health: MedRide contract terminated
(COLORADO) — On Monday, Feb. 10, the Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF) lifted its suspension with Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) provider MedRide, and announced it would instead terminate the company's contract. The suspension was initially put in place on Jan. 31, 2025, after an initial review of MedRide found significant deficiencies in reimbursement paperwork, including missing member signatures, missing dates and times, and claims forms with missing information from poor scanning. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: State Medicaid suspends contract with MedRide According to a spokesperson with HCPF, NEMT providers must meet certain requirements to provide services in accordance with state and federal regulations. Reasons HCPF cited for terminating MedRide's contract include the company's failure to: Complete the required criminal background checks for more than 200 drivers Provide valid and current proof of insurance Ensure proper vehicle safety inspections and registrations for vehicles used to transport Health First Colorado members Submit claims with accurate and complete documentation. Additionally, HCPF said MedRide failed to comply with the Corrective Action Plan MedRide agreed to in November 2024. 'HCPF's top priority is the safety of Health First Colorado members. We are also focused on the sound stewardship of taxpayer dollars in administering our safety net coverage programs,' said HCPF Executive Director Kim Bimestefer. 'MedRide failed to comply with the program requirements that have been clearly communicated over the past year in order to achieve these critical priorities. More than 130 other NEMT providers have completed this process and are serving our members.' When FOX21 News reached out to MedRide for comment about the termination, the provider said, 'We have no documentation, no phone call, NOTHING to say it is [terminated].' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘What the president has done is clearly illegal': Bay Area rep slams Trump funding freeze
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Bay Area Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) slammed President Donald Trump's federal funding freeze as illegal. 'What the president has done is pretty clearly illegal,' said Lofgren, speaking to KRON4's Justine Waldman. 'Congress has appropriated these funds, he's required under law to see that the laws are faithfully executed. There have been numerous cases since the Nixon presidency indicating what he's doing is illegal.' 'We now have a right-wing Supreme Court. Do they plan to overturn half a century of case law? Who knows with those guys?' Lofgren added. 'We are going to fight this as best as we can. Lawsuits have already been filed.' San Francisco launches immigrant resources hub 'President Trump can review all he wants, and if he has recommendations, he can come to the Congress to make changes — propose changes to the law. But what he's doing here is wrong and illegal.' 'The lower courts are bound to follow existing law and the law is that this is illegal. Now maybe the right-wing Supreme Court wants to change the law, but until they do, I'm hopeful that the lower court will follow what has been a half century of precedent.' Bay Area Congressman Sam Liccardo (D-San Jose) also slammed President Trump's federal funding freeze as unlawful. 'If you don't think the Trump administration's illegal impoundment of all federal funding will harm every corner of our community, consider the thousands of parents who cannot go to work if they depend on child care funded by Head Start, and the millions of residents imperiled by potential delays in the rebuilding of the Anderson Dam.' 'Sensible budget-cutting requires discernment, not disregard for human suffering from halting essential public safety, health care, or disaster relief. I will fight to push the President to abide by the 1974 Budget and Impoundment Control Act and our Constitution.' Trump's abrupt federal aid freeze has drawn widespread backlash and reportedly led to State Medicaid programs across the country reporting they've lost access to federal payment portals. At a White House press briefing Tuesday, President Trump's press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the freeze as a 'temporary pause' while the Office of Management and Budget reviews 'the federal funding that has been going out the door.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
