Excerpt from Politico story:
Medicaid proposals gain steam in anticipation of program overhaul
By Rachana Pradhan and Brianna Ehley
HAWAII — Two bills aimed at combating chronic homelessness are gaining traction in the state legislature as lawmakers look to reduce Hawaii’s alarming rate of homelessness — the highest in the country. One bill, which requires certain plans to cover treatment for people who are homeless, advanced through a Senate committee this week. The other measure would classify homelessness as a medical condition for Medicaid reimbursement purposes. It’s still in committee but has attracted attention from both liberal and conservative lawmakers who believe it could effectively treat people who are chronically homeless and often use emergency rooms while reducing uncompensated care costs. State Sen. Josh Green, the sponsor of the bill, says by classifying homelessness as a medical condition, doctors could prescribe housing and the expenses could be picked up by Medicaid. “You’re not going to get a game changer on homelessness until you change the game,” he said. Green admits his bill is a long shot, but sees some hope if Republicans move toward block grants and states are given more flexibility to decide how they want to spend their Medicaid dollars. “In an era where Trump is interested in states rights … and they want to make state rights a priority and do block grants, we will want to have a plan to take of our most vulnerable people,” Green said.