New Mexico reverses course on Medicaid charges for patients
SANTA FE — New Mexico reversed course Wednesday on its plans to charge some patients covered by Medicaid a monthly insurance premium of $10 and co-payments of $8 on certain brand-name drugs and visits to the emergency room for routine medical care.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced in a new release that the state will seek federal approval to reverse cost-sharing and enrollment provisions instituted by her Republican predecessor that were designed to conserve state spending on Medicaid.
Lujan Grisham, who took office Jan. 1, said that federally approved cost-sharing measures and changes to Medicaid enrollment procedures threaten to limit access to emergency services and disrupt health coverage for hundreds of thousands of state residents covered by Medicaid insurance for the poor and disabled.
Without a rapid reversal, an $8 co-payment would go into effect March 1 for Medicaid patients who use certain brand-name drugs or visit the emergency room to receive routine medical care. The potential charge applies to about 675,000 people who receive Medicaid coverage in a state of 2.1 million.
Read more: https://www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/local/new-mexico/legislature/2019/02/14/nm-reverses-course-medicaid-charges-patients-drugs-healthcare/2865567002/