Maureen Corcoran
Gov. DeWine is invested in Intel. But he won’t say how much
As Ohio negotiates almost a $2 billion incentive package with electronic chip maker Intel, Gov. Mike DeWine owns stock in the company, according to ethics disclosures that were due on Monday. However, the governor declined to say much about the investment beyond the very general information that is required under Ohio ethics law. Intel in […]
Medicaid director owned stock in companies she awarded huge contracts
Ohio Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran won’t discuss them, but state ethics filings she submitted on Sunday showed that she continued to own stock in three huge health care companies last year — the same year she negotiated and signed billion-dollar contracts with their subsidiaries. Outside ethics experts have said it’s a clear conflict of interest […]
Louisiana sues health care company over practices under investigation in Ohio
Louisiana is suing health care giant UnitedHealth over several business practices, saying it is seeking “to recover billions of dollars in inflated prescription-drug prices” for the state Medicaid program. Among its allegations, the state accuses the company of gaming federal oversight reports meant to ensure that at least 85% of the money it gets from […]
Consulting firm that worked for the feds had conflicts. What about another that worked for Ohio?
Can Ohioans be confident that a consulting firm paid almost $10 million by taxpayers last year to assist in a $22 billion procurement didn’t have conflicts of interest? The firm hasn’t answered whether any of the Medicaid managed-care bidders were also its clients. And Ohio officials don’t appear to have much interest in digging out […]
Ohio Medicaid claims it’s more transparent than other states
After refusing to disclose federal watchdog reports, the Ohio Department of Medicaid last week claimed that the relevant information it “makes available to the public appears to include at least as much, if not more information.” It pointed to some of that information Monday, but it’s hard to evaluate whether it meets or exceeds that […]
Ohio Medicaid made a commitment. Let’s hold them to their word
Medicaid is the second largest health care provider in Ohio, serving more than three million of our state’s most at risk and underserved people across all communities. In our state’s most populous counties with the densest urban cores – Franklin, Cuyahoga and Hamilton Counties – between 30% and 35% of residents are enrolled in Medicaid. […]
Ohio Medicaid won’t say if it considered federal oversight reports in massive procurement
The Ohio Department of Medicaid not only is refusing to release key oversight reports from its contractors, it’s refusing to say whether it even considered them last year as it undertook the largest public procurement in Ohio history. As a consequence of that procurement, the company with the highest score on the federally required oversight […]
Ohio Medicaid preaches transparency, withholds watchdog reports
Ohio Medicaid director Maureen Corcoran often stresses the importance of transparency in delivering $35 billion worth of health care each year to Ohio’s poor and disabled. But in response to an open-records request, the department last week refused to provide copies of key, federally required reports meant to ensure that its biggest contractors aren’t gouging […]
Attorney General seeks financial info from Medicaid contractors
In the past month, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has sought financial information from the state’s five managed-care contractors, documents received in response to an open-records request show. The AG won’t discuss ongoing investigations, but he might be looking into whether some practices by subcontractors who manage pharmacy benefits violate state law or federal regulations. […]
Mississippi House votes to cut ties with provider accused of fraud
The Mississippi House of Representatives last week voted overwhelmingly to cut ties with a Medicaid provider that last year agreed to pay the state $55 million to settle claims that it fraudulently inflated the cost of prescription drugs. Ohio is the only state to actually sue over such claims and last year St. Louis-based Centene […]
Experts: DeWine’s son, Medicaid director both have clear conflicts
(The original version of story misattributed a statement by Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine to a spokeswoman for the court, who does not speak for him. This version is updated.) The administration of Gov. Mike DeWine is making history, but perhaps for the wrong reasons. Two DeWine appointees have figured in what federal law […]
With big Medicaid changes looming, Ohio pharmacists complain of a lack of details
The Ohio Department of Medicaid plans to radically change the way it does business in July, but a group that helped motivate the reform effort says it hasn't provided some fundamental details. Some members of that group, the state's community pharmacists, say those details could determine whether they can stay in business — and whether some small towns become pharmacy deserts.