Supreme Court blocks Medicaid lawsuits against states

The Hill reports:

The Supreme Court delivered a victory to state health departments on Tuesday, ruling that private Medicaid doctors cannot sue states to raise their reimbursement rates.

The justices decided that Medicaid providers must raise any payment disputes directly with the federal government because it creates the rules for the low-income health program, not the states.

The case, Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center, was sparked by two Idaho health centers that felt they were being shortchanged by state officials. The plaintiffs claimed that state officials were reimbursing less money under Medicaid than they had all previously agreed.

Attention doctors: when you make a deal with the devil you will be the junior partner whether you like it or not.