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.

Viewpoints: 'Tradeoffs among access, quality and costs'; Obamacare as a political issue

One of the oft-repeated arguments in favor of the Affordable Care Act is that it will reduce people's need for more intensive care by increasing their access to preventive care.

16 Jul 2014

North Carolina Gov. leaves 'door open' to Medicaid expansion

The Republican governor said he wants to fix the current system first, but would consider expansion if federal officials allowed the state to craft its own plan.

16 Jul 2014

States grapple with mental illness issues; Oregon moves closer to limiting Medicaid patients' access to new hepatitis C drugs

The numbers, posted daily on the Cook County sheriff's website, would be alarming at an urgent care clinic, let alone a jail: On a Wednesday, 36 percent of all new arrivals report having a mental illness. On a Friday, it's 54 percent. But inside the razor wire framing the 96-acre compound, the faces and voices of the newly arrested confirm its accidental role as Chicago's treatment center of last resort for people with serious mental illnesses (Geller, 7/14).

16 Jul 2014

HHS offers $100 million in funds for states Medicaid programs to improve payment systems

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is offering the assistance in hopes that states will be able to streamline processes in ways that will ultimately lead to better patient care.

16 Jul 2014

Florida hospital to pay $1M settlement in false claims case

The settlement comes in what has been a closely watched Medicare overbilling case filed against Halifax Hospital.

15 Jul 2014

Feds scrutinize Medicaid backlogs in 7 states

Health and Human Services officials have demanded remediation plans from at least seven states -- California, Michigan, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Georgia and Alaska -- to resolve application backlogs.

15 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 15, 2014

Today's headlines include news about how some states are planning to address their backlogs of new Medicaid enrollees.

15 Jul 2014

Glitch in Connecticut exchange resulted in thousands of problems

Access Health CT is reaching out to 5,784 customers who were either inaccurately enrolled in Medicaid, or who received inaccurate bills because their insurers received incorrect information from the exchange, officials say. Meanwhile, developments related to Minnesota's and Colorado's exchanges are also covered.

15 Jul 2014

Some doctors refuse to see Obamacare enrollees

Subscribers are running into closed doors from some doctors listed in their plans' networks, reports The Miami Herald. Meanwhile, Connecticut advocates express concern about how a proposed overhaul of the state's health care system could change Medicaid, and in Washington state, providers scramble to keep up with demand.

15 Jul 2014

National Medicaid enrollment nears 7 million

The Obama administration released new enrollment figures showing 56 percent of those on the program are children. Meanwhile, Tennessee faces a deadline today for a plan to fix enrollment problems.

14 Jul 2014

Urgent Care for Kids plans to add four new clinics throughout Texas

Urgent Care for Kids announced plans to enter the Austin market and add four new clinics throughout the state. The practice is slated to open two new Houston-area clinics as well as two clinics in the greater Austin area by the end of the summer. Urgent Care for Kids selected these areas by identifying key growth markets where it can respond to increased demand for high quality after-hours pediatric care.

14 Jul 2014

PLI's Health Care Mergers and Acquisitions Answer Book 2014 released

Practising Law Institute announces the release of their newest title, Health Care Mergers and Acquisitions Answer Book 2014. Co-edited by two experts from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, Andrew L. Bab and Kevin A. Rinker, Health Care Mergers and Acquisitions Answer Book 2014 is a specialized Q&A guide to the legal aspects of health care M&A transactions.

14 Jul 2014

NLC awards grants to eight cities to help enroll children, families in Medicaid and CHIP

To help implement local outreach efforts to enroll children and families in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program, the National League of Cities today awarded grants and technical assistance to eight cities.

14 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 14, 2014

Today's headlines include coverage of Medicare, the health law and veterans' care policy issues as well as reports from the campaign trail.

14 Jul 2014

Research roundup: Clinics and electronic records; young adults baffled by exchange; Medicare spending slowdown

We found that in 2012 nine out of ten health centers had adopted a EHR system, and half had adopted EHRs with basic capabilities. Seven in ten health centers reported that their providers were receiving meaningful-use incentive payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

14 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Parsing newest reports of coverage gains; 'scientific fraudsters'

It will take a while to understand fully how the Affordable Care Act affects the quality of health care and access to doctors in this country.

14 Jul 2014

Newly covered addicts unable to get residential care

Under an obscure, 50-year-old rule, Medicaid covers residential addiction treatment only if a center has 16 or fewer beds, severely limiting options for newly covered drug addicts and alcoholics, reports The New York Times.

14 Jul 2014

Mass. fix to insurance website passes preliminary test

New software for the health exchange has passed its initial testing and officials say they are cautiously optimistic that the state can run its own marketplace when enrollment begins in the fall. Also, Modern Healthcare examines where small business exchanges stand.

14 Jul 2014

Obamacare lowers uninsured rate, three studies find

According to three new studies, the health law has in its first year reduced the number of uninsured adults by between 8 million and 11 million, and the majority of enrollees report satisfaction with their plans.

13 Jul 2014

Michigan surpasses Medicaid enrollment goal in 4 months

More people have enrolled in Medicaid's expansion in less than four months than were expected to sign up in the entire first year of the program, the Snyder administration announced Thursday.

13 Jul 2014