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Hawaii could begin cutting some state-funded medical services for Micronesian migrants now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld a ruling allowing the state to reduce health care coverage of noncitizens. The state could begin cutting services by the end of the week to nonpregnant, adult noncitizens. The state Department of Health had prepared emergency rules in anticipation of Monday's ruling. (11/5)

Justin Puckett, an osteopathic physician from Kirksville, Mo., will have a major decision to make at the start of 2015 — whether his family medicine practice can continue to treat Medicaid patients. Looming over Puckett and other primary care doctors is a cut to their reimbursement rate that is set to take effect at the end of this year, barring action from a lameduck Congress reeling from Tuesday’s Republican electoral wave. (Shapiro, 11/6)

The Jefferson Center for Mental Health has seen a large increase in the demand for its services and, as a result, will hire approximately 100 new people in the next year. In 2014, the center has seen 13,454 new admissions, which is up from 11,632 last year and 9,858 in 2012. The new employees will increase staff by about 25 percent. (Vaccarelli, 11/6)

A new report on the health of older Missourians says cost and access to health care are key concerns as the state’s population continues to age. “In the next 15 - 20 years Missouri’s population is really going to explode with the Baby Boomers retiring,” explained Ryan Barker, vice president of health policy for Missouri Foundation for Health, the organization that produced the report. “So, we really wanted to look at this population—what are their needs, what are we seeing. And then predicting what are some of those future needs that we really need to start focusing on now so that we aren’t reaching a crisis 10 to 15 years from now.” (Phillips, 11/5)