Payer

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, states have the option of expanding Medicaid to cover people earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. Expanding Medicaid has become a subject of heated debate in some states.

Health insurer Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey has announced it won't renew any 2013 small group or individual health insurance plans after the end of this year.

Iowa has received federal approval to move forward with a Medicaid expansion plan that would subsidize private insurance coverage for residents earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level, according to a Des Moines Registerreport.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has indicated in a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that the state and federal officials continue to work together to craft a Medicaid expansion plan, according to a report from The Hill.

Facing significant industry changes in 2014, health insurer WellPoint is turning to narrow provider networks.

David Critchlow, vice president of government relations for Brentwood, Tenn.-based LifePoint Hospitals, told congressional staff members yesterday that not renewing several Medicare reimbursement policies will make it harder for rural hospitals to provide essential care, according to an AHA News…

The Republican-led Wisconsin Assembly has passed legislation to delay a scheduled Medicaid reform plan that will transition more than 70,000 residents out of the program.

Ohio lawmakers have passed a bill that aims to control Medicaid costs by creating a joint legislative oversight panel, according to a WOSU report.

States that have chosen not to expand their Medicaid programs under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will miss out on billions in new federal funds, according to a study from The Commonwealth Fund.

In October, state agencies deemed roughly 1.46 million people eligible for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, according to a CMS report.