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Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the states and federal government, and is managed by the states.

13 million children now living in poverty in the U.S.

In newly released data it appears that poor families and children are being left behind as the benefits of a steadily growing economy fail to trickle down to their level.

31 Aug 2005

Bush pushing seniors to sign up for prescription drug benefit program

Senior citizens skeptical about signing up for a new Medicare prescription drug benefit program, are being urged by President George Bush to enroll in the scheme which is promising a choice of plans with monthly premiums as low as $20.

30 Aug 2005

Pennsylvania law allows motorcyclists to drive helmet free - who pays the medical bills?

Pennsylvania passed a law to allow motorcyclists to drive without wearing a helmet. But who pays the medical bills when a motorcyclist suffers a catastrophic brain injury, and how does this law affect our overall medical policy?

24 Aug 2005

Seniors in U.S. can relax as official says Medicare drug benefit scheme will cost less

Federal officials have said that Medicare's controversial new drug benefit for seniors, may in fact cost less than first projected, because of the very competitive bids from insurers and other providers.

10 Aug 2005

Assisted living and in-home care increase as nursing home beds decline

Even with the U.S. population rapidly aging, a smaller proportion of elderly and disabled people live in nursing homes today compared to 1990. Instead, far more depend on assisted living residences or receive care in their homes, according to a study published in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Applied Gerontology.

10 Aug 2005

New health campaign targets uninsured kids in the U.S.

According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, an estimated 45 million Americans lack health insurance, and nearly 20 percent of them are children.

3 Aug 2005

American Psychological Association lauds action agendas to transform U.S. mental health system

The American Psychological Association (APA) lauds the release of the Campaign for Mental Health Reform's action agenda, Emergency Response: A Roadmap for Federal Action on America's Mental Health Crisis, designed to help the federal government transform the delivery of mental health services.

2 Aug 2005

Medicare at 40: Past Accomplishments and Future Challenges

As Americans commemorate Medicare's 40th Anniversary, AARP's Public Policy Institute (PPI) has released the report, "Medicare at 40," which examines the program's successes as well as the challenges that lie ahead. It found that Medicare has largely accomplished its original goals of ensuring access to care and establishing financial protections for medical costs.

2 Aug 2005

Quality of care may vary in association with the characteristics of individual physicians and their practices

Certain physician characteristics and practice-setting characteristics are associated with Medicare beneficiaries receiving routine preventive services below the national goals, according to a study in the July 27 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

27 Jul 2005

High rates of cervical cancer are indicators of larger problems in access to health care

The report also finds that cervical cancer mortality, which is higher in certain geographic areas and populations, is a marker for other health disparities.

21 Jul 2005

Evaluating how hospitals deliver medical care standardizes practices and improves care

In recent years, American hospitals have made significant improvements on standardized, evidence-based measures of clinical performance for several medical conditions, including heart attacks, heart failure, and pneumonia.

20 Jul 2005

Quality of care in U.S. hospitals

Ashish Jha, assistant professor of health policy and management at the Harvard School of Public Health and colleagues from Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Boston Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, have for the first time assessed the quality of care in U.S. hospitals.

20 Jul 2005

A new study shows that the number of Americans who had weight-loss surgery quadrupled between 1998 and 2002

A new study shows that the number of Americans who had weight-loss surgery quadrupled between 1998 and 2002.

13 Jul 2005

New law will take away vital medications from AIDS sufferers in Mississippi

Medicaid beneficiaries living with HIV/AIDS in Mississippi are about to be denied access to medications they need to stay alive.

1 Jul 2005

Medicaid beneficiaries living with HIV/AIDS in Mississippi are about to be denied access to medications

A law that takes effect tomorrow, July 1, limits Mississippi Medicaid beneficiaries to two brand-name drugs. But controlling HIV infection requires three drugs, and all of them are brand name.

30 Jun 2005

Americans oppose budget cuts to Medicaid

According to a new national survey released this week in the U.S., the majority of Americans regard the state-federal low-income health care program as very important and strongly oppose budget cuts to Medicaid.

30 Jun 2005

1.7 million will be anxious when Medicare coverage of anxiety drugs ceases

When the U.S. Government's new prescription drug benefit begins next year a category of drugs commonly used to treat anxiety, insomnia and seizures will not be included.

28 Jun 2005

Surgical tools were washed in hydraulic fluid, many report lingering health problems

In a quite shocking revelation it has been discovered that as many as 3,800 patients at two hospitals run by Duke University Health System were operated on last year with instruments that were washed in hydraulic fluid instead of detergent.

14 Jun 2005

Claritin's switch to OTC status meant fewer prescriptions

After the allergy drug Claritin became available without a prescription in 2002, insurance plans and consumers spent less on the prescription form of its main ingredient, loratadine, and all similar allergy drugs, according to a new report published in this month’s The American Journal of Managed Care.

10 Jun 2005

Study forecasts continuing slide in job-based health coverage

A study released Thursday, June 2 by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and Working Partnerships USA, a consortium devoted to workforce issues, says that just a bare majority of adults likely will have job-based health insurance by 2010, with middle-income adults facing the sharpest coverage decline and lower-income adults being largely priced out of the market.

6 Jun 2005