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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.

Poor oral health can have negative impact on seniors' overall health

Research has shown that poor oral health can have a negative impact on seniors' overall health and well-being, but for many, there are significant barriers to visiting a dentist, finds a new report in the American Journal of Health Behavior.

27 Aug 2014

Report tallies funds committed to federal insurance exchange

The federal government has committed nearly $800 million to the project, according the Health and Human Services' inspector general.

27 Aug 2014

Americana announces strategic partnership with COMS Interactive

Americana Corporation is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with COMS Interactive, LLC (Clinical Outcomes Management Systems or COMS). The partnership supports an interface between Americana Corporation's AmeraCare products/services and the COMS Daylight IQ™ disease management software.

26 Aug 2014

State highlights: Calif. hospital accused of patient dumping; Wash. mental health changes

Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer has filed a lawsuit accusing Glendale Adventist Medical Center of dumping mentally ill and disabled homeless patients on L.A.'s skid row over the last four years. The six-page complaint, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, said the hospital improperly transported elderly and dependent patients to the downtown Los Angeles neighborhood, a 50-block area "known for extreme poverty, homelessness, rampant sale and use of illegal drugs and violent crime" (Holland, 8/22).

26 Aug 2014

Nursing homes can see improvements in quality of care with "culture change"

If a nursing home makes an extensive investment in "culture change" it will see improvements in quality of care, according to a new study led by Brown University gerontology researchers.

26 Aug 2014

Exchange customers now receiving subsidies should review tax issues

The Associated Press examines the tax credit issue. Other outlets look at issues surrounding the state insurance marketplaces in California, Maryland, Illinois, Connecticut and Minnesota.

26 Aug 2014

Viewpoints: Spreading Ebola treatments; Dems can win running on health law

A radical but promising proposal to help treat victims of the Ebola epidemic in West Africa appears to be gaining support among knowledgeable experts.

26 Aug 2014

Obamacare plays supporting role in campaigns

While the Affordable Care Act is still 'red meat' for conservative voters, Republicans are trying to be more nuanced in how they talk about the issue this campaign season.

25 Aug 2014

Findings may help policy makers address barriers to access to care

A recent study has found that in states with higher Medicaid payments for office visits, Medicaid beneficiaries were more likely to be screened for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer.

25 Aug 2014

Sanofi, Regeneron present alirocumab Phase 3 trial results at ESC Congress 2014

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sanofi today announced that details from four pivotal trials in the alirocumab ODYSSEY clinical program will be presented on Sunday, August 31, during a Hot Line session at ESC Congress 2014 in Barcelona, Spain, the world's largest cardiology meeting.

25 Aug 2014

State highlights: Only 1/3 chose Medicaid plan in Fla.; Calif. Prop 46 money

A selection of health policy stories from Florida, Oregon, California, New York, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New Jersey.

25 Aug 2014

Health insurance reimbursement may determine cancer screening rates

A study published today indicates that people living in American states that offer higher Medicaid payments for office visits are more likely to have been screened for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers than those in states giving lower levels of Medicaid support.

25 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 22, 2014

Kaiser Health News consumer columnist Michelle Andrews writes: "How much leeway do employers and insurers have in deciding whether they'll cover contraceptives without charge and in determining which methods make the cut? Not much, as it turns out, but that hasn't stopped some from trying. Kaiser Health News readers still write in regularly describing battles they're waging to get the birth control coverage they're entitled to" (Andrews, 8/22).

22 Aug 2014

Viewpoints: 'Raw judicial politics' on health law; Texas abortion trial; suicide and gender

The Affordable Care Act -- Obamacare -- has endured so many near-death experiences that digging into the details of still another effort to demolish it is admittedly not an inviting prospect. (My own reaction, I confess, to hearing some months back about the latest legal challenge -- this one aimed at the supposed effect of a single word in the 900-page statute -- was something along the lines of "wake me when it's over.") But stay with me, because this latest round, catapulted onto the Supreme Court's docket earlier this month by the same forces that brought us the failed Commerce Clause attack two years ago, opens a window on raw judicial politics so extreme that the saga so far would be funny if the potential consequences weren't so serious (Linda Greenhouse, 8/20).

22 Aug 2014

Special election secures GOP control of Va. legislature

The results are expected to hamper efforts by Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe to expand Medicaid.

22 Aug 2014

Longer looks: Falling teen birth rate; the right to pain relief; limiting access to Sovaldi

An infectious disease doctor at Tulane University, [MarkAlain] Dery treats people living with HIV in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the two largest cities in the southern state of Louisiana, which itself has the fourth-highest rate of HIV in the United States, just behind New York, Florida and Maryland.

22 Aug 2014

State highlights: Calif. audit finds hospital payroll wrongdoing; Ill. plans Medicaid contraception boost; Minn. union vote

Audits of a state prison and psychiatric hospital detail hundreds of thousands of dollars in improper payments and financial problems, including outright payroll fraud, and medical staff and guards receiving questionable bonuses and holiday pay, according to reports released Wednesday (St. John, 8/20).

22 Aug 2014

Add dental check-up to back-to-school checklist, says dentist

As parents and kids gear up for a new school year, a trip to the dentist should be on everyone's back-to-school checklist, according to dentists from Kool Smiles, a children's dental provider expanding access to quality, affordable dental care in underserved communities nationwide.

22 Aug 2014

State highlights: Audit says $93M in Medi-Cal payments could be fraudulent; Mass. insurers press on Medicaid pay

A selection of health policy stories from the District of Columbia, California, Massachusetts and Minnesota. The audit released Tuesday reviewed billing data from July 2008 to December 2013 for Medi-Cal's Drug Treatment program, which reimburses rehabilitation clinics.

21 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 21, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about a new "Obamacare" ad in the Arkansas Senate race and a California poll measuring how the state's voters feel about a ballot initiative that would expand the state's ability to regulate health insurance rates.

21 Aug 2014