Medicaid Advisers Seek Patient Rights, Hospital Viability Revamp

Congressional Medicaid advisers released on Friday their annual report to Congress, providing analysis and recommendations on key issues facing Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

The major focuses of this year’s report include the need to improve beneficiary stakeholder engagement, rectify funding cuts to safety-net hospitals, and improve the appeals process for beneficiaries denied claims by insurers that contract with Medicaid, according to the Medicaid and Chip Payment and Access Commission.

Of those three areas of concern, revamping how beneficiaries appeal coverage denials by managed-care organizations could be an immediate step Congress ...