Oct. 29: HCA Healthcare and Molina Healthcare are set to deliver their quarterly earnings—HCA before the markets open, Molina afterwards. HCA saw its net income drop 4.5% in the second quarter compared with same period last year. Molina reported lower revenue and net income in the quarter as well, largely due to Medicaid contract losses.
Oct. 29: A House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee continues its examination of how well the VA is doing in safeguarding whistleblowers during a hearing titled, “Protecting Whistleblowers and Promoting Accountability: Is VA Doing Its Job?” The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee in July heard from whistleblowers who said they faced retaliation after raising concerns about quality and safety issues at VA facilities.
Oct. 30: The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee shifts its attention from whistleblowers to access to care for American Indians and Alaska Native veterans. The Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee plans to zero in on barriers these veterans face both in terms of access and cultural competency. While touring VA facilities in North Dakota early this month, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie told reporters that improving access and care for rural and Native American veterans “is my priority.”
Oct. 30: HHS’ Office of Inspector General over the past couple of months reported that state Medicaid programs have been paying HMOs to provide coverage for dead people. Illinois, the OIG found, spent $4.6 million between October 2015 and September 2017 and Minnesota’s Medicaid program ponied up $3.7 million to HMOs between 2014 and 2016 for dead beneficiaries. Those programmatic challenges, and others, are likely to come up when a Senate Finance subcommittee holds a hearing to look at compliance with Medicaid eligibility requirements.