Medicaid News and Research

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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.

Competition among health exchange plans controlling prices, says Humana exec

President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare law will begin enrolling customers for 2015 benefits in mid-November. Now in its second year, Obamacare is attracting health insurers to offer plans in more states after over 8 million people enrolled for coverage in 2014. The country's largest insurer, UnitedHealth Group Inc, sold Obamacare plans in only a few states in 2014.

19 Sep 2014

NCQA awards Commendable Accreditation to Centene's Florida subsidiary, Sunshine Health

Centene Corporation today announced that its wholly-owned Florida subsidiary, Sunshine Health, was elevated to Commendable Accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) for its Medical Managed Assistance and Child Welfare programs.

18 Sep 2014

Providence Service to acquire CCHN Group Holdings

The Providence Service Corporation, a leader in the management and provision of human social services, innovative global employment services and non-emergency transportation through a variety of government-sponsored programs, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire CCHN Group Holdings, Inc. ("Matrix Medical Network" or "Matrix"), a Scottsdale, Arizona provider of in-home health assessment and care management services and a portfolio company of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe XI, L.P. ("Welsh Carson").

18 Sep 2014

Virginia lawmakers expected to return to debate over Medicaid expansion

The topic will come up during a special session of the Virginia House of Delegates, which is dominated by Republican lawmakers who are on record opposing the approach.

18 Sep 2014

States' efforts to customize their Medicaid expansion efforts could complicate reform

Some conservative states have won concessions from the administration in exchange for moving forward on expansion, and other states are carefully weighing those choices.

18 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: Election victory could bring difficult decisions for GOP; Burwell 'presses reset'

But if the GOP controls both the Senate and the House, its members will be under pressure to govern. At least in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to move major legislation, they'll even have an incentive to compromise .… But that won't be easy.

18 Sep 2014

Wis. says it needs $760M for Medicaid over next two years

The state was already projected to have a budget gap of $1.8 billion. Elsewhere, North Carolina plans a Medicaid reorganization.

18 Sep 2014

Senate hearing previews upcoming debate about future of CHIP

A Senate hearing on Tuesday set the stage for a coming debate over whether the federal government should continue financing a popular health insurance program for lower-income children who are now eligible for new coverage options under the Affordable Care Act (Goodnough, 9/16).

18 Sep 2014

Coordination pays off for about a quarter of ACOs

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reported that 64 of 243 accountable care organizations -- a new health care delivery model created by the health law -- earned bonuses by saving the Medicare program money. Four ACOs overspent and now owe the government money.

18 Sep 2014

Parties' disputes on health law fading to 'background noise' in campaign

Republicans are moving beyond their criticisms of the law in the midterm fights. Also, news outlets examine what a Republican-controlled Senate might focus on and how expanded health coverage is not working to the Democrats' advantage in Kentucky.

18 Sep 2014

GAO warns of security risks in HealthCare.gov

Despite improvements, the federal health insurance website has continuing security holes that put consumers' personal information at risk, the nonpartisan watchdog agency said in a report Tuesday.

18 Sep 2014

Medicaid expansion, uninsured coverage issues continue to simmer in Virginia

More than six out of 10 Virginia voters support an expansion of Medicaid benefits to cover the estimated 400,000 state residents in the coverage gap, according to a new survey released on the eve of a special session of the Virginia General Assembly to discuss the issue. But nearly half of Virginians surveyed have doubts that the federal government would fully fund its share of the program, according to the poll, conducted by the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University (Nolan, 9/17).

17 Sep 2014

Home health care nursing lowers hospitalizations and transfers to nursing homes

In the largest study of its kind, a University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing investigation shows that home health agencies providing organizational support to their nurses get better outcomes.

17 Sep 2014

State highlights: N.Y. sues drugmaker over Alzheimer's drug switch; Ariz. Republican resigns over Medicaid remarks

New York State's attorney general filed an antitrust lawsuit on Monday seeking to stop a pharmaceutical company from forcing patients with Alzheimer's disease to switch to a new version of a widely used drug. The lawsuit contends that the switch is designed to blunt competition from low-priced generic versions of the medication (Pollack, 9/15).

17 Sep 2014

Missing paperwork puts coverage at risk for tens of thousands of people

According to the Obama administration, as many as 115,000 people could lose the new insurance they obtained under the health law because they did not prove they were legal immigrants or U.S. citizens who were eligible for that coverage. Another 363,000 people must submit documentation to verify their incomes by Sept. 30 or lose their subsidies. These two numbers combined represent about 10 percent of the people who signed up through the online insurance marketplaces.

17 Sep 2014

Covered California unveils ad campaign, awards $14.6M for outreach

And new enrollment numbers for that state show a growing individual insurance market, officials said. Meanwhile, a Nebraska woman recounts her experience as a navigator, and Oregon officials say a tax credit error will affect fewer people than expected.

17 Sep 2014

Viewpoints: New uninsured numbers are outdated; chiropractors' unusual move into nutrition

The federal government released some very reliable estimates of how many people had health insurance in the first three months of 2014.

16 Sep 2014

FDA grants Breakthrough Therapy designation to EYLEA Injection for treatment of diabetic retinopathy

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted EYLEA (aflibercept) Injection Breakthrough Therapy designation for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).

16 Sep 2014

State Highlights: Calif. prop 45 ad truth check; Medi-Cal autism coverage

Proposition 45 would give California's elected insurance commissioner the authority to reject excessive health insurance rate hikes, a power the commissioner already wields for auto and homeowners insurance rates. The campaign against it -- for which the insurance industry has so far put up $37.3 million -- is now airing a 60-second radio ad narrated by a nurse named Candy Campbell.

16 Sep 2014

Study: Subsidy quirk means young people pay more for bronze plans

How the government calculates insurance subsidies makes the cheapest bronze plans more costly for young people relative to those aged 54 to 64, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer. Meanwhile, Oregon budgets $2 million for a lawsuit fight with Oracle over its health insurance marketplace.

16 Sep 2014