Paula Blankenship, Author at The Hertel Report

Paula Blankenship

Communications professional with two decades of award-winning work in journalism, corporate communications, promotional video, public relations and higher education. Always seeking opportunities to serve the public good.

Author's Posts

National News

Feds Colorado Audit of Autism Therapy Payments Raises Oversight Questions for AHCCCS & Providers

For Arizona policymakers and Medicaid plans, the Office of Inspector General's Colorado findings highlight a growing tension between program oversight, the rapid expansion of private equity-backed applied behavior analysis (ABA) providers and the ability of families to access consistent therapy for children with autism. The issue drew...

Arizona News

Rand Research Report: OBBA's Impact on States, AHCCCS Predicted to Lose Billions and 327,000 Members by 2034

A new RAND analysis of the Medicaid provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act suggests Arizona could face some of the largest fiscal and enrollment impacts in the country over the next decade. The research report published last week finds that expansion states with heavy use of state-directed payments and provider...

Arizona News

Arizona, California Lead Multi-state Suit Over Federal Vaccine Policy Overhaul

Arizona has joined a coalition of states suing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over changes to the federal childhood immunization schedule and the restructuring of the government’s vaccine advisory panel. The lawsuit , which also names as plaintiffs Health & Human Services and Jayanta Bhattacharya from the Centers for Disease Control...

Arizona News

2026 Medicare Advantage Market Shows Slowing Growth Nationally & Arizona

Nearly 787,000 Arizona beneficiaries began 2026 enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA), according to CMS January enrollment files — only a modest increase from roughly 780,058 enrollees in June 2025. The muted membership gain suggests growth may be slowing in a national and local market that this year remains flat at about 51%...

Arizona News

The Wait is Over: NAH Announces No Plans for New Flagstaff Hospital

Flagstaff residents and seasonal summer visitors should not expect a new hospital anytime soon, according to an update this week from Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH), which reaffirmed the region’s need for additional hospital capacity but said it cannot yet announce a site or construction timeline. The update follows a difficult...

Page 1 of 23112 3 ...