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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.

New study reveals differences in payment and income between physicians

A surprising new study pulls back the curtain on one of the most contentious issues in health care: differences in payment and income between physicians who perform operations, procedures or tests, and those who don’t.

23 Sep 2014

ACP and 20 other groups applaud Senate bill that ensures primary care access for women, children

The efforts and leadership of Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to ensure access to vital primary care services were lauded yesterday by the American College of Physicians and 20 other organizations, representing internal medicine and related subspecialties.

23 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: CHIP funding needed; GOP's flawed plan to make 'the pill' OTC; millennials' health issues

Federal financing for a beneficial health insurance program for low-income children, known as the Children's Health Insurance Program or CHIP, will run out next year unless Congress agrees to extend it. Bills are pending in both the House and the Senate to extend financing for four years, to 2019. Congress should approve the extension in the lame-duck session after the midterm elections so that families and state officials will know what the future holds. The program needs to be maintained amid uncertainty as to whether other good coverage will be available for these children (9/21).

23 Sep 2014

Highlights: Hawaii public hospital cuts; La. struggles with state worker health program costs; aging in Ky.

Public hospitals across Hawaii are finding ways to reduce staff and cut services because they don't have enough money to make ends meet. Executives from the Hawaii Health Systems Corp. told lawmakers Friday that even after layoffs they are facing a $30 million deficit in 2015. One hospital on Maui chose to close its adolescent psychology unit because it couldn't sustain the appropriate staffing levels to provide the services. It's also considering cuts to oncology and dialysis services if the situation doesn't improve (9/20).

23 Sep 2014

New Medicaid enrollees pleased with coverage, but note they still face obstacles

Focus-group research finds that people who received Medicaid coverage under the health law's expansion are generally happy but find roadblocks to getting care, The Washington Post reports.

23 Sep 2014

UHC participates in three-year project to improve quality of care and reduce overall costs

UHC will be participating in a three-year project, funded by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, that aims to improve the quality of care and the patient experience while reducing the overall cost of care by enhancing communication and coordination between primary care physicians and specialists.

23 Sep 2014

Improvements in NICU nursing care could boost health outcomes for underweight black infants

The health outcomes and quality of care for underweight black infants could greatly improve with more nurses on staff at hospitals with higher concentrations of black patients, according to a new study co-led by a Rutgers researcher.

22 Sep 2014

State policies fail to provide sufficient two-generation supports to families with young children

Recent two-generation approaches to reducing poverty that help children and their parents are receiving increasing attention from researchers, advocates, and foundations.

22 Sep 2014

Falcon Physician certified for Meaningful Use Stage 2

Falcon Physician, a provider of electronic health record (EHR) software to nephrologists and a subsidiary of DaVita HealthCare Partners, a leading provider of kidney care and health care services, announced that it has successfully completed the rigorous requirements needed to become certified for Meaningful Use Stage 2.

22 Sep 2014

EYLEA Injection gets approval in Japan for treatment of myopic CNV

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that Bayer HealthCare's Japanese subsidiary, Bayer Yakuhin, Ltd. has received approval from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare for EYLEA (aflibercept) Injection for myopic choroidal neovascularization (myopic CNV).

22 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: Ezekiel Emanuel's choice of an age to die; new enrollment numbers still confusing

Seventy-five. That's how long I want to live: 75 years. This preference drives my daughters crazy. It drives my brothers crazy. My loving friends think I am crazy. They think that I can't mean what I say; that I haven't thought clearly about this, because there is so much in the world to see and do. To convince me of my errors, they enumerate the myriad people I know who are over 75 and doing quite well. They are certain that as I get closer to 75, I will push the desired age back to 80, then 85, maybe even 90. I am sure of my position.

22 Sep 2014

Va. legislators return to bitter Medicaid expansion debate, kill plan without formal vote

State legislators united across party lines Thursday to plug a $2.4 billion hole in the state budget but quickly reverted to bitter partisanship as they debated Medicaid expansion, with House Republicans ultimately killing a bill to expand the health-care program without giving it a formal vote (Vozzella and Weiner, 9/18).

22 Sep 2014

Research roundup: Home health nurses' workloads; readmissions at the VA; SHOP choices

In anticipation of next year's premium announcements and given some information already made public, concerns have surfaced about the potential for double-digit percent increases in nongroup and small-group health insurance premiums. This analysis shows that, although average annual increases in small-group premiums over the past 13 years averaged roughly 5.5 percent, double-digit average premium increases are common for states and large metropolitan areas.

22 Sep 2014

Some doctors could face stiff fines because of shifting CMS rules

The physicians, who have already spent millions of dollars to set up electronic health record systems, could now face penalties because of a timing glitch in federal rules.

21 Sep 2014

Obama administration: 7.3 million who picked health exchange plans paid their premiums

That number, which reflects the tally of people who obtained insurance via the health law, fell slightly from the estimated 8 million mark that was released in the spring. It means that at least 700,000 consumers who initially signed up for a health plan let it go.

21 Sep 2014

Demand for $84,000 hepatitis C drug slows

Health care providers may be waiting for other, soon-to-be-released drugs to treat hepatitis C. Also, an Indian pharmaceutical company faces Justice Department questions on pricing data for Medicaid.

19 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: Many beneficiaries of health law don't vote; reboot for healthcare.gov

For starters, my strong hunch from my own reporting in the region over the past couple years - including several trips to Kentucky for a new book on McConnell - is that the Democrats' biggest problem in Appalachia and the Upland South is not that the people who are benefitting from Obamacare or would stand to benefit from it if their states fully implemented the law are voting against their own interests, for Republicans.

19 Sep 2014

State highlights: Los Angeles' new mental health program; N.C. considers Medicaid expansion; N.Y. nurses push for more staff

The $756,000 initiative marks one of the county's most significant attempts to find a better way to treat people who have mental illness and wind up in the criminal justice system by offering them transitional housing, medical treatment and job-hunting help. Officials say the pilot program will start in Van Nuys and initially help 50 people at a time, but it is expected to spread throughout the county and could accommodate up to 1,000 people at once (Gerber, 9/17).

19 Sep 2014

Medi-Cal patients, advocates sue Calif. over application wait

The lawsuit alleges that hundreds of thousands of people are going without health care as a result.

19 Sep 2014

Health law's ripple effects on hospitals, schools, uninsured

The Kansas City Star reports that some uninsured patients fall through the cracks as hospitals cut back on charity care to persuade people to sign up for coverage. Some schools, meanwhile, are turning to private substitutes to avoid having to pay for their health coverage next year. In Colorado, Denver Health is back in the black, partly due to a dramatic decrease in uninsured patients.

19 Sep 2014

Medicaid News and Research

New study reveals differences in payment and income between physicians

ACP and 20 other groups applaud Senate bill that ensures primary care access for women, children

Viewpoints: CHIP funding needed; GOP's flawed plan to make 'the pill' OTC; millennials' health issues

Highlights: Hawaii public hospital cuts; La. struggles with state worker health program costs; aging in Ky.

New Medicaid enrollees pleased with coverage, but note they still face obstacles

UHC participates in three-year project to improve quality of care and reduce overall costs

Improvements in NICU nursing care could boost health outcomes for underweight black infants

State policies fail to provide sufficient two-generation supports to families with young children

Falcon Physician certified for Meaningful Use Stage 2

EYLEA Injection gets approval in Japan for treatment of myopic CNV

Viewpoints: Ezekiel Emanuel's choice of an age to die; new enrollment numbers still confusing

Va. legislators return to bitter Medicaid expansion debate, kill plan without formal vote

Research roundup: Home health nurses' workloads; readmissions at the VA; SHOP choices

Some doctors could face stiff fines because of shifting CMS rules

Obama administration: 7.3 million who picked health exchange plans paid their premiums

Demand for $84,000 hepatitis C drug slows

Viewpoints: Many beneficiaries of health law don't vote; reboot for healthcare.gov

State highlights: Los Angeles' new mental health program; N.C. considers Medicaid expansion; N.Y. nurses push for more staff

Medi-Cal patients, advocates sue Calif. over application wait

Health law's ripple effects on hospitals, schools, uninsured

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