What We're Reading: Verma Sits Out Ky. Medicaid Expansion; No Expansion in Va.; Missouri Abortion Rule Blocked

Verma Cites Conflict of Interest in Kentucky Medicaid Plan

The new head of CMS will sit out the decision in Kentucky to become the first state to include work requirements for some Medicaid recipients. Seem Verma has cited a conflict of interest since she helped write Kentucky’s Medicaid overhaul plan when she was still a consultant, reported Kaiser Health News. The Kentucky plan is mostly modeled on the Indiana Medicaid expansion plan, which Verma also had a hand in designing when Vice President Mike Pence was governor of Indiana.

Virginia Medicaid Expansion Blocked, Again

Governor Terry McAuliffe has been trying to expand Medicaid in Virginia, but the Republican-controlled House of Delegates has blocked his latest bid. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the 66-34 vote to reject the proposal to expand Medicaid was entirely on party lines. McAuliffe proposed Medicaid expansion as part of his budget amendments. The House rejected 12 of the governor’s proposed amendments.

Missouri Judge Will Block Abortion Rule

A judge in Missouri will block abortion-restricting rules in Missouri that are similar to rules the Supreme Court struck down in Texas. The judge would be invalidating requirements that doctors performing abortions have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and that clinics meet hospital-like standards, reported the AP. Similar rules in Texas had sharply reduced the number of clinics in the state.