Alaska Democrats make Medicaid expansion proposal; CMS signs off on KS Medicaid managed care;

News From Around The Web

> Alaska's Democratic lawmakers have floated a proposal to expand Medicaid to cover about 41,000 additional residents, but it seems unlikely to gain traction without any Republican support, Anchorage Daily News reports. Article

> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Sevices has signed off on allowing Kansas to turn its Medicaid program for developmentally disabled enrollees to private managed care companies, according to Lawrence Journal WorldArticle

> Despite ongoing operational woes, 14 employees with Minnesota's health insurance exchange received bonuses just after its launch last fall, according to Minnesota Public Radio. Article

Provider News

> Hospitals must increase mental health screenings and improve targeted follow-up practices with at-risk patients to make progress on suicide prevention, according to research published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. Article

Healthcare IT News

> Providing near-real-time notice when patients visit the emergency room might be more useful and cost-effective initially than a full-fledged health information exchange, according to a case study presented by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Article

And finally...Man survives trip through a wood chipper. Article