The state of Alaska settled a lawsuit in 2019 compelling it to improve its Medicaid processing times. Attorneys say the state is continuing to fail, and they are preparing to head back to court.
Alaska has violated state and federal law by failing to process Medicaid applications in a timely manner, according to an Anchorage-based civil rights law firm that settled a class-action lawsuit in federal court with the state three years ago.
She said that health officials believe the majority of those cases are recertifications, meaning that many can be processed automatically and that “the individual will not lose coverage while the case is being reviewed.” “It’s just incredible, to be honest with you, 50% of the time they’re complying with the law, jeepers creepers,” said James Davis Jr., an attorney with the Northern Justice Project.
Davis isn’t convinced. A large backlog of Medicaid applications, and long processing times, predated the pandemic and the cyberattack. Many of the reasons Zink gave for the Medicaid backlog also extend to the Division of Public Assistance’s severe backlog in processing applications for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, often known as food stamps. SNAP benefits for thousands of AlaskansState workers say Alaska’s food stamp backlog problems go back yearsAddressing the current backlog of applications to the Division of Public Assistance is a top priority, Zink said.
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