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Kerr v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic is one of the most straightforward cases the Supreme Court will hear this year. It involves a federal law that requires every state’s Medicaid program to ensure that “any individual eligible for medical assistance” may obtain that care “from any institution, agency, community pharmacy, or person, qualified to perform the service or services required.” Thus, Medicaid patients, and not the state, clearly have a right to choose their own health providers, with only one exception. The provider must be “qualified,” which, as the federal appeals court that heard this case explained, means that the provider is “professionally competent” to provide the care that the patient seeks. (Millhiser, 3/25)

Consumers who have failed to complete registration for the Medicaid program known as CDPAP by April 1 will be allowed to continue their services and workers until April 30. Those who enroll during the grace period will be eligible to receive retroactive payments, the state Department of Health revealed to POLITICO on Sunday. The late registration window extends until April 30, but the Hochul administration says this is not a delay: It’s merely a safeguard to ensure that participants in the popular Medicaid program don’t lose service. (Cordero and Kaufman, 3/24)

Ohio Medicaid changed the way it processes claims for payments from health providers a few years ago. And now it appears it's taking longer for those providers to get paid. Although the agency denies it's a problem, two large central Ohio hospital systems confirm they've experienced the delays. (Fox, 3/24)

���ϳԹ��� News: Many People With Disabilities Risk Losing Their Medicaid If They Work Too Much

Zach Mecham has heard politicians demand that Medicaid recipients work or lose their benefits. He also has run into a jumble of Medicaid rules that effectively prevent many people with disabilities from holding full-time jobs. “Which is it? Do you want us to work or not?” he said. Mecham, 31, relies on the public insurance program to pay for services that help him live on his own despite a disability caused by muscular dystrophy. (Leys, 3/25)

���ϳԹ��� News: Bill That Congressman Says Protects Medicaid Doesn’t — And Would Likely Require Cutting It

On Feb. 25, Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) voted in favor of a House budget resolution that calls for sharp cuts in spending across a vast array of government areas. Medicaid is among the programs that could be at risk — catapulting it to the center of the political debate. President Donald Trump has insisted he won’t harm Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security benefits, saying his administration is looking to root out fraud. But Democrats have pushed back, saying the sheer size of the proposed cuts will result in harm to the Medicaid program, its enrollees, and medical providers. (Appleby, 3/25)

The program is a political flashpoint because of its vital role in the lives of adults and children across the country. (Mathews and Overberg, 3/24)