Columnists
09/29/2026 · Hastings
The Three Words That Give Your Day Back
“Let me check” is not evasive, rude, or a sign that you’re bad at being helpful. It’s a small pause that keeps other people’s urgency from becoming your schedule.
Shakespeare’s Secret: How One Poem Turns Summer Into a Promise
Shakespeare begins with a question about summer and ends by claiming that a poem can outlive time itself. The astonishing part is not the boast—it’s how carefully the sonnet earns it.
09/27/2026
The Trouble With the Future Is That It Hasn’t Happened Yet
Seneca’s ancient advice for modern catastrophizers is less “think positive” than “stop giving your imagination documentary status.”
09/27/2026
The National Ear: Washington Sells Certainty, America Buys Confusion
The country’s biggest arguments all point to the same problem: leaders keep promising control over systems they cannot steer. Meanwhile, families, courts, and small employers keep paying the bill.
09/27/2026
The Immersive Van Gogh Industrial Complex Must Be Stopped
I have seen “Starry Night” projected onto a warehouse wall, and I survived. But somewhere between the swelling soundtrack and the $38 tote bag, we stopped looking at art and started being gently processed by it.
09/27/2026
Lanesboro, Minnesota: The Bike Trail Town That Forgot to Be Boring
Follow the Root River into southeastern Minnesota for limestone bluffs, a walkable main street, and a breakfast plate that justifies the entire drive. Lanesboro is small enough to understand in one afternoon and strange enough to keep you poking around until dinner.
09/30/2026
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City Council Meeting
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Announcements
View allEnhanced Primary Care Payments
Enhanced Primary Care Program Discontinuation Effective July 1, 2026, the Nebraska Medicaid Enhanced Primary Care (EPC) program will be discontinued. Nebraska Medicaid will no longer accept new EPC provider applications as of June 30, 2026. All EPC existing providers will automatically be disenrolled from the program on June 30, 2026, and the EPC fee schedule will end. No action is required from participating EPC providers. For questions, please email [email protected] On December 31, 2014, the enhanced federal funding to certain eligible physicians for the enhanced primary care payment for Medicaid services ended. However, Nebraska Medicaid has chosen to continue primary care enhanced payment to attested providers in the calendar year 2015 and beyond. The enhanced rate is available for providers who are fee-for-service providers with Nebraska Medicaid, as well as eligible providers who are enrolled in the Nebraska physical health managed care program. The increased payments pertain to primary care services delivered by a physician (MD or DO) with a specialty designation of family medicine, general internal medicine, or pediatrics. Physician Assistants who are supervised by a physician that is eligible for the enhanced rate are also eligible to receive the enhanced rate. The increase applies to a specific set of services and procedures that Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) designates as “primary care services." Attestation: In order to qualify for the enhanced rates, eligible enrolled Nebraska Medicaid providers must attest to being a primary care physician by one of the following: Board certification as a primary care physician by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS), or the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) or Have furnished evaluation & management (E&M) and vaccines services (codes specified by federal regulation) that equal at least 60% of the Medicaid codes billed during the most recently completed fiscal year. Eligible providers who may qualify for the enhanced rate must complete an Attestation Form to be submitted with the identified documentation to the Medicaid central office. Providers must attest for each new provider number or any time the provider's status of eligibility changes. Attestation Form Providers should send forms and documentation to the following address: DHHS Medicaid and Long-Term Care Enhanced PCP Rates P.O. Box 95026 Lincoln, NE 68509-5026 Or Fax to: (402) 471-9103 Attention: Enhanced PCP Rates To assist in delivery of information, a dedicated email address has been created for questions and answers specific to this program change. We will gather the questions and responses and place them on our website. The email address is: [email protected]. Questions Questions regarding enhanced primary care payments may be sent to: [email protected]. Providers Fee Schedule Enhanced Primary Care Provider Fee schedule Board Certification Lists American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS)American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS)American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Medicaid Managed Care Contractors for Heritage Health CMS Final Rule: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-11-06/pdf/2012-26507.pdf. Correction to Final Rule: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-12-14/pdf/2012-29640.pdf. Q and A on Increased Medicaid Payments for PCPs Q and A on Set II Increased Payments for PCPs Q and A on Increased Medicaid Payments for managed care
National Correct Coding Initiative
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) expects state Medicaid programs to follow the rules of the National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI). CMS created the NCCI in 1996. NCCI promotes correct coding practices nationwide and controls incorrect coding, which can lead to incorrect payments for Medicaid claims. Coding policies are made based on rules found within the following tools: American Medical Association's Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) manual National and local policies Recent changes to national and local policies Coding guidelines from national societies Analysis of standard medical and surgical practices Reviews of current coding rules. CMS reviews and updates these policies yearly to ensure all NCCI coding practices match Medicaid claims. The CMS website contains the following: Medicaid-specific NCCI manuals More information about NCCI NCCI Policies Coding Policy Manuals NCCI (procedure to procedure and MUE) edits Compliance checks take place to evaluate claims against the NCCI edits both before and after payment. Reviewing pre-payment editing may result in claim denial; reviewing post-payment editing may result in a refund request. CMS instructs states to use NCCI edits first. Edits from each state are then applied to the claims. Payment of a claim is dependent on compliance with all NCCI and Nebraska-specific edits. Most Nebraska Medicaid claims are compatible with CMS standards. Nebraska Medicaid will post changes and helpful tools as they become available. Program Integrity Department of Health & Human Services Division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care Email Address [email protected] Nebraska Implementation of the National Correct Coding InitiativeFrequently Asked Questions (updated 11/20/2017) NCCI Provider Information Betsie Steenson Department of Health & Human Services Division of Medicaid and Long-Term Care Phone Number (402) 471-9353 Email Address [email protected]
Attorney General Mike Hilgers Urges Consumers to Claim Compensation for Inflated Generic Drug Prices
Lincoln – Attorney General Hilger is urging consumers to check their eligibility for compensation for certain generic drug purchases and to submit a claim for compensation here. This month, the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut granted preliminary approval of a plan, filed by Nebraska and a coalition of 47 other states and territories, to distribute settlement funds paid by generic drug manufacturers in exchange for settlement of claims that those companies illegally conspired to raise the prices of generic drugs. The coalition previously announced settlements with the manufacturers Glenmark, Lannett, Bausch, Apotex, Heritage, and Heritage’s parent company, Emcure, totaling approximately $96.5 million. The multistate coalition’s distribution plan aims to return millions of dollars from those settlement funds to those potentially harmed by the elevated prices of the generic drugs that are the subjects of those settlements. If you purchased a generic drug listed here between May 2009 and December 2019, you may be eligible for compensation. To determine your eligibility, call 1-866-290-0182 (Toll-Free), email [email protected] or visit www.AGGenericDrugs.com. Nebraska and nearly all other states and territories engaged in a series of antitrust cases against major generic drug manufacturers, beginning in 2016. These cases involve dozens of companies and individuals accused of price-fixing and fraudulent conduct related to generic drugs. Seven pharmaceutical executives are cooperating with the States. The above-mentioned cases stem from a series of investigations built on evidence from several cooperating witnesses at the core of the different conspiracies, millions of documents, and a massive phone record data base. Each complaint addresses a different set of drugs and defendants and lays out an interconnected web of competing industry executives who regularly met and communicated with each other, providing ample opportunity to form illegal agreements. The complaints note that defendants used terms like "fair share," "playing nice in the sandbox," and "responsible competitor" to unlawfully discourage competition, raise prices, and enforce an ingrained culture of collusion. Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming joined in today’s announcement.
Public Notices
View allNebraska Funeral Home Disciplined Following Cremation of Remains without a License
Other - 09/25/2026
Attorney General Mike Hilgers Urges Consumers to Claim Compensation for Inflated Generic Drug Prices
Other - 09/22/2026
Attorney General Hilgers Joins $694 Million Multistate Settlement with Subprime Auto Lender Credit Acceptance Corporation
Other - 09/17/2026
The Nebraska Attorney General’s Office Files Complaints in Petition Case
Other - 09/15/2026
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