Drew Snyder, director of the Mississippi Division of Medicaid, described the state legislature's move to ban Centene's Medicaid contract as hazardous, and likely to result in litigation against the state, according to a Feb. 17 Daily Journal report.
Lawmakers pitched an amendment to a bill that would effectively ban Centene from having a Medicaid contract with the state. The amendment would disallow the state from penning contracts with entities that have settled with the state for over $50 million, which includes Centene.
The House passed the bill 113-4, giving it strong momentum as it seeks approval in the Republican-controlled Senate and from Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, according to Y'all Politics.
On the heels of that momentum, Mr. Snyder warned that the amendment could limit the state's Medicaid options beyond Centene and result in messy litigation.
"If passed, the amendment would subject 162,328 Medicaid beneficiaries to a hurried reassignment process that would disrupt care services," Mr. Synder told the Daily Journal. "It likely would result in litigation against the Division of Medicaid."