Healthcare Roundup—2 HHS officials to exit agency following controversy over social media posts

HHS officials leaving agency after controversial social media posts surface

Two political appointees who served on President Donald Trump's campaign are out at the Department of Health and Human Services after a Politico report detailed "inflammatory" social media posts.

Tim Clark, HHS' liaison to the White House, will resign and leave the agency in the next several weeks, Politico reported. Gavin Smith, a policy adviser at HHS, also left the agency this week.

Smith posted tweets that mocked Republicans who he viewed as disloyal to the president; for example, calling Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., "crazy." Clark posted tweets referencing several online conspiracy theories, including #SpiritCooking, a debunked online theory that alleged Hillary Clinton's campaign leader John Podesta engaged in satanic rituals. (Politico)

Nearly 7,500 Arkansas residents fail to meet state's Medicaid work requirements

Close to 7,500 Arkansans failed to meet the state's new work requirements for Medicaid, according to its insurance regulators.

Arkansas notified 27,140 Medicaid beneficiaries in May that they would be subject to the state's work requirements. Of those people, 15,511 already met the requirements, which mandate that Medicaid enrollees work, volunteer or take classes for 80 hours each month. Meanwhile, 7,464 failed to meet them.

In addition, 2,395 reported an exemption and 445 met reporting requirements.

Arkansas is one of the first states to implement a work requirements program for Medicaid under new rules from the Trump administration. A federal judge struck down a similar program in Kentucky in late June. (Washington Examiner)

Cleveland Clinic to open $53M outpatient, specialty clinic in Florida

Cleveland Clinic announced Monday that it would open the Coral Springs Family Health Center in Florida, a 73,000-square-foot facility that will further expand the system's reach in the state.

Cleveland Clinic Florida operates several locations in the southern part of the state, and the new $53 million Coral Springs clinic will offer specialty care, outpatient surgery, endoscopy and advanced imaging services.

The new clinic is part of Cleveland Clinic Florida's planned $302 million expansion.

"We will continue to build on our 30-year history of providing an advanced level of care to patients in South Florida, and we are proud that a growing number of patients are seeking the specialized services we provide," Wael Barsoum, M.D., CEO of Cleveland Clinic Florida, said in an announcement. (Announcement)