Medicaid News and Research

RSS

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.

Preeminent hospitals penalized over rates of patients’ injuries

Hundreds of hospitals across the nation, including a number with sterling reputations for cutting-edge care, will be paid less by Medicare after the federal government pronounced that they had higher rates of infections and patient injuries than others.

31 Jan 2020

5 things to know about Trump’s Medicaid block grant plan

The Trump administration unveiled a plan Thursday that would dramatically revamp Medicaid by allowing states to opt out of part of the current federal funding program and instead seek a fixed payment each year in exchange for gaining unprecedented flexibility over the program.

31 Jan 2020

Study examines impact of Medicaid expansion on hiring attempts in substance use treatment workforce

Lawmakers have focused a great deal of attention on alleviating the opioid public health crisis, while at the same time addressing across-the-board concerns regarding affordability of healthcare.

31 Jan 2020

State-purchased insurance plans improve HIV outcomes, save healthcare costs

Health insurance purchased by state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs for people living with HIV in states that did not expand Medicaid are improving outcomes and have the potential to save millions in healthcare costs, a new study suggests.

30 Jan 2020

Mercy Medical Center receives five stars for quality of care

Mercy Medical Center has received a 5-Star Overall Hospital Rating, the highest possible, from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for quality of care.

30 Jan 2020

Two Rush hospitals earn top rating from CMS

Rush University Medical Center and Rush Oak Park Hospital again earned high marks in one of the nation's most respected assessments of health care quality.

30 Jan 2020

KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Remaking Medicaid — maybe

The Trump administration is trying to achieve a goal for Republicans that dates to the 1980s — allowing states to obtain at least some of their funding for Medicaid as a block grant.

30 Jan 2020

A guide to following the health debate in the 2020 elections

Health has been a top issue in the presidential campaign during the past year: Not only do the Democratic candidates disagree with President Donald Trump, but they also disagree among themselves.

30 Jan 2020

Trump’s latest health care challenge: Gaining voters’ trust

Far more Americans disapprove of President Donald Trump's handling of several high-profile health care issues than give him positive marks, underscoring the challenge the president faces in claiming health care as a political asset in his reelection bid.

30 Jan 2020

Annual lung cancer screening with LDCT reduces lung cancer deaths

The Dutch-Belgian Randomized Lung Cancer Screening Trial, known as the NELSON trial (de Koning et. al), published Jan. 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), reconfirms that annual lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in high-risk patients significantly reduces lung cancer deaths.

30 Jan 2020

Medicaid expansion could lessen the burden of colon cancers, save Black male lives

Expanding Medicaid in North Carolina could sharply lessen the burden of colon cancers in the state and save the lives of thousands of Black men as well as improving access to care for men of all races, researchers report in the 27 January issue of PLOS ONE.

29 Jan 2020

California reopens the single-payer debate

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a single-payer candidate.

28 Jan 2020

WVU program works towards preventing blindness in diabetic patients

When people think about the management of diabetes, A1C (hemoglobin) tests and foot exams usually come to mind. Often overlooked is the recommended retinal eye exam. This eye exam is crucial because many West Virginians with diabetes are at risk for blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy.

27 Jan 2020

Call for FDA to withdraw preterm birth drug divides doctors and insurers

Doctors fear that the only drug approved to prevent preterm birth, the nation’s leading cause of infant mortality and disability, will no longer be available to expectant mothers.

27 Jan 2020

Medi-Cal benefits eliminated a decade ago, such as foot care and eyeglasses, are back

San Diego podiatrist Dr. John Chisholm recalls the jolt some of his patients felt in 2009 when Medi-Cal, the government-funded health insurance in California for low-income people, eliminated coverage for podiatry care and several other benefits for adults due to a massive budget shortfall engendered by the Great Recession.

27 Jan 2020

Burden of health care payments greatest among households with lowest incomes

Higher income American households pay the most to finance the nation's health care system, but the burden of payments as a share of income is greatest among households with the lowest incomes, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

27 Jan 2020

APRNs have expanded roles in national response to opioid crisis

As we enter a new year and a new decade, many states have enacted legislation affecting the roles of advanced practice registered nurses in terms of practice authority, reimbursement, and prescriptive authority, according to the 32nd Annual Legislative Update in the January issue of The Nurse Practitioner, published by Wolters Kluwer.

24 Jan 2020

New neuromodulation device may help prevent migraine

If your bank account balance looks nail-bitingly low and you won't get paid for days, you might agonize over every dollar you spend. Maybe you'll scrutinize grocery-store ads more closely than usual or brew your own coffee instead of ordering it from a barista.

24 Jan 2020

Despite new doubts, ‘hotspotting’ help for heavy health care users marches on

A highly publicized approach to lowering health costs failed to pass rigorous study this month, but hospitals, insurers and government health programs don't intend to give up on the idea.

24 Jan 2020

Bloomberg on health care: Translating his mayoral record to the national stage

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has spent more than $200 million arguing that he should be the Democratic nominee for president, blanketing the airwaves with advertisements.

24 Jan 2020