Can Idaho “Covered Choice” Work?
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The 80 Million
The 80 Million is a Medicaid newsletter powered by Manatt Health.
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Latest episodes
CMS’ Provider Tax Proposed Rule: More Grandfathering Than States Expected, Paired with New Financing Risk
Provider taxes fund more than a quarter of the state share of Medicaid. CMS’ new proposed rule would preserve more than its earlier guidance signaled, while changing how states must prove they comply.
H.R. 1’s Non-Citizen Federal Funding Limits Collide with Medicaid Enrollment for SSI Recipients
H.R. 1 ends federal Medicaid funding for some lawfully present noncitizens, putting vulnerable SSI recipients at risk and leaving states with daunting implementation, funding and coverage choices.
What the New Public Charge Rule Means for Health Care, States and Immigrant Families
A new federal public charge rule gives immigration officers sweeping discretion over benefit use and its biggest effects will show up in Medicaid and the health safety net.
CMS’ Medicaid Work Requirements Rule: A 50-State Analysis of Additional Projected Coverage Losses, FFY 2027–2034
CMS' rule could increase Medicaid coverage loss by 1.8 million compared to prior projections, Manatt Health’s 50-state model estimates.
A New Federal Era for Medicaid Demonstrations: Why State Innovation May Be at Risk
Manatt Health’s new 1115 waiver pipeline tracker maps the state demonstrations potentially at risk as CMS introduces new policy.
26 States vs. CMS: The Fight Over Medicaid Work Rules
With Medicaid work reporting requirements set to take effect in a few months, 26 states are suing CMS to block a rule they say breaks the law.
Episode 8 of The 80 Million Podcast: Beyond Coverage — What It Will Take to Fix American Health Care
Coverage was the breakthrough. Affordability and usability are the next test.
DOJ May Be Stepping Back from Olmstead. States Shouldn’t.
Even if federal enforcement retreats, federal disability laws still stand — and states should keep helping people with disabilities live in their communities.
Episode 7 of The 80 Million Podcast: Paying for Cures — Medicaid’s Next Financing Test
The next generation of curative therapies is coming faster than Medicaid’s financing system can adapt. Outcomes-based payment can help, but it will not be enough.
CMS’ Medical Frailty Rule Puts Patients, Providers at Risk
The new CMS rule will put clinicians in the position of deciding which patients are too sick to comply with the new federal work reporting requirement.
Episode 6 of The 80 Million Podcast: America Is Getting Older. Its Long-Term Care System Is Getting Weaker.
Our fragile HCBS infrastructure that keeps people out of nursing homes is cracking — at exactly the wrong moment.
CMS’ Proposed State-Directed Payment Rule: Implications for Medicaid Value-Based Payment
The CMS proposed state-directed payment rule sharply curtails state authority to reward Medicaid providers for better care, not higher volume.
Episode 5 of The 80 Million Podcast: States on the Front Lines — Leading Through Federal Retrenchment
Medicaid funding is shrinking, the state–federal partnership is fraying, and projected coverage losses are climbing — but hope shouldn’t be lost.
New CMS Medicaid Work Requirements Rule Increases Coverage Risks and Raises Legal Questions
The interim final rule adds complexity, narrows protections and increases the risk of wrongful coverage loss.
Episode 4 of The 80 Million Podcast: Addressing Social Needs in Medicaid — The Evidence Is In. Now What?
States need to move out of the pilot mindset and integrate interventions with strong evidence into their Medicaid programs.
Medicaid Program Integrity and the Future of State Authority
The federal fraud campaign has evolved into something more dangerous: an effort to target blue states, strip federal Medicaid funding, and narrow their ability to cover Medicaid state plan services.
Episode 3 of The 80 Million Podcast: AI and Digital Innovation in Medicaid — Promise, Peril and What to Buy
Medicaid agencies face critical decisions about what technologies improve care, expand access, and lower costs. A conversation with Peterson Health Technology Institute helps cut through the noise.
Episode 2 of The 80 Million Podcast: Hospital at Home – The Bed Isn’t the Business Model Anymore
Hospital at Home may signal a paradigm shift among hospital systems driven by “losing less money.” That’s good news for Medicaid.
Coverage Shouldn’t Disappear in Program Handoffs
Medicaid and Marketplaces have a renewed urgency to reduce coverage gaps by fulfilling their “no wrong door" to health coverage mandate and simplifying coverage transitions.