Health

Medicaid managed care operator Kentucky Spirit plans to terminate its contract with the state. Kentucky Spirit is one of the private Medicaid operators that took over the program for the state last year. The company encountered problems, however, and was in dispute with the state and doctors over reimbursement rates and other details of Medicaid operations.

Tobacco companies are urging a federal judge to rule against the federal government's proposed industry-financed corrective statements. The companies contend the messages amount to "forced public confessions."However, the Justice Department argues that the statements need to be strong enough to protect the public from future false statements made by the tobacco industry.