STAT+: State officials scrambling to implement Medicaid work requirements meet up to swap notes
What state officials scrambling to implement Medicaid work requirements shared behind closed doors at the National Association of Medicaid Directors conference.
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — Hundred of state officials with responsibility for health care for 73 million Americans sat quietly as the conference room lights dimmed and Mehmet Oz’s face appeared on large screens at the start of day two of the National Association of Medicaid Directors fall conference. Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, kicked off the session with a pre-recorded video challenge, urging participants to think of themselves as "scientists comparing lab notes" and emphasizing their crucial role in this national research project.
The atmosphere of the conference was reminiscent of a group project, with numerous ideas, concerns over the final outcome, and a lack of sufficient time to accomplish everything. State officials engaged in discussions, sympathized with one another, and shared detailed notes on how to implement one of the most significant changes to Medicaid in recent years, with less than 80 days remaining until the deadline.
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