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.

Contract for Serco processing center hit by whistleblower allegations is renewed

The $98 million contract extends operations of the facility where employees reported they sometimes slept or played board games for lack of work.

8 Jul 2014

Long waits for medical attention are normal in many parts of U.S.

The New York Times reports on what it calls the health care system's "waiting game."

8 Jul 2014

Fla. hospitals on the hook for $267 million in Medicaid overpayment

The federal government says the hospitals were paid too much, and it wants the entire overage back this year. That is a tough demand for two of the state's safety-net hospitals. Meanwhile, a Florida teen battling cancer hits Capitol Hill to lobby for funding for Medicaid and other children's programs.

8 Jul 2014

Health law backers brace for new battles over 2015 insurance rates

Politico reports that this round of messaging will be critical because rates are expected to increase and could add to Democrats' midterm election challenges.

8 Jul 2014

Medicare proposes 2.1% pay boost for outpatient care

The increased rate highlights a trend towards discouraging unnecessary admissions. Meanwhile, the agency announces a pilot project to cut down appeal waits for long-term care providers.

7 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 7, 2014

Today's headlines include a range of stories related to the implementation of the health law, and the politics surrounding it.

7 Jul 2014

Research roundup: 20M gain insurance, coverage's effect on surgery choices; opioid use by service members

This report aims to help readers understand recently announced enrollment numbers, as well as other numbers that have received less attention, and assess their importance for the future of the ACA and our health care system. .

4 Jul 2014

State highlights: N.C. lawmakers reach Medicaid agreement; Idaho asks SCOTUS to take up Medicaid reimbursement

For the past few weeks, two big issues have kept the two chambers of the General Assembly from reaching an agreement on next year's state budget: teacher salaries and Medicaid. But on Wednesday, the Senate and the House of Representatives finally moved closer to agreement on their Medicaid forecasts, loosening a logjam that's kept legislators in Raleigh past July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year (Hoban, 7/3).

4 Jul 2014

Nine of 10 Obamacare applications with subsidy inconsistencies have yet to be resolved

The inspector general report details the government isn't quite sure how to fix the problem. In the meantime, a new health startup looks to cash in on helping companies enroll low-wage earners in Medicaid instead of company plans.

4 Jul 2014

N.Y., Colo. insurers seek large 2015 premium increases; Ga. sees drop in rates

In New York, insurer requests for rate increases on the health law's exchange averaged 13 percent, while Denver Health is asking state regulators for a 17.5 percent hike next year. Georgia has a different story: Two companies are planning to enter the exchange next year and Blue Cross, the only statewide plan on the exchange this year, says it will drop rates by 7 percent.

4 Jul 2014

Preventive placement of ICDs improves survival in patients with less severe heart failure

An examination of the benefit of preventive placement of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in patients with a less severe level of heart failure, a group not well represented in clinical trials, finds significantly better survival at three years than that of similar patients with no ICD, according to a study in the June 4 issue of JAMA.

4 Jul 2014

First Edition: July 3,2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including more analysis of the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision and concerns in New York about significant insurance rate increases for 2015.

3 Jul 2014

State highlights: Ore. mediation for medical errors; Mich. home-help aides

A mediation program spearheaded by Gov. John Kitzhaber went into effect Tuesday, giving patients and their families an option besides suing when medical errors happen. But questions remain over how the mediation program will develop, including whether hospitals, doctors and other providers will take advantage of the program, or candidly discuss errors if they do. The result of a compromise between trial lawyers and the Oregon Medical Association approved in SB 483 last year, the Early Discussion and Resolution program is intended to cut down on lawsuits and boost the reporting of medical errors to help improve health care practices (Budnick, 7/1).

3 Jul 2014

Viewpoints: Court complicates women's health care; decouple work and coverage; Cuomo's fight against AIDS

The 5-4 decision, which runs 89 pages (including a 35-page dissent), is a messy, sprawling affair. The majority insists that its reach is narrow, while the dissent holds otherwise. What's clear is that the ruling will needlessly complicate not only constitutional and corporate law but also -- at least as significant -- health care for women who work at such companies (6/30).

3 Jul 2014

Medicare proposes home health payment reductions, savings

Officials say the moves would save the agency $58 million next year by changing how much it pays for some services and requiring agencies to prove their effectiveness.

3 Jul 2014

Indiana seeks OK for Medicaid expansion alternative; Calif. wrestles with Medi-Cal backlog

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence on Tuesday requested a waiver from the federal government to expand Medicaid coverage using a state plan that he says would promote personal responsibility. Developments in California, Oregon, Georgia and Washington state are also tracked.

3 Jul 2014

New meta-analysis highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care

A new meta-analysis published online in PLOS ONE by infectious disease and epidemiology specialists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care that will prove useful as the U.S. health care system continues to see an influx of patients with the disease because of improved screening efforts and new, promising drugs.

3 Jul 2014

Testosterone therapy does not increase men's risk for heart attack, shows UTMB study

Testosterone prescriptions for older men in the United States have increased more than three-fold over the past decade. Recent studies linking testosterone use with increased risk of heart attack and stroke have caused widespread concern among patients and their families.

2 Jul 2014

Forest Laboratories completes acquisition of Furiex Pharmaceuticals

Actavis plc today announced that its subsidiary Forest Laboratories, LLC has successfully completed its acquisition of Furiex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.1 billion, and up to approximately $360 million in a Contingent Value Right (CVR) that may be payable based on the status of eluxadoline, Furiex's lead product, as a controlled drug following approval.

2 Jul 2014

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act can improve health of the US population

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law by US President Barack Obama in 2010, can advance public health in the USA by supporting increased emphasis on prevention, and reversing the historic division between public health and private health care services, according to the authors of new research published in The Lancet as part of a new Series, The health of Americans.

2 Jul 2014

Medicaid News and Research

Contract for Serco processing center hit by whistleblower allegations is renewed

Long waits for medical attention are normal in many parts of U.S.

Fla. hospitals on the hook for $267 million in Medicaid overpayment

Health law backers brace for new battles over 2015 insurance rates

Medicare proposes 2.1% pay boost for outpatient care

First Edition: July 7, 2014

Research roundup: 20M gain insurance, coverage's effect on surgery choices; opioid use by service members

State highlights: N.C. lawmakers reach Medicaid agreement; Idaho asks SCOTUS to take up Medicaid reimbursement

Nine of 10 Obamacare applications with subsidy inconsistencies have yet to be resolved

N.Y., Colo. insurers seek large 2015 premium increases; Ga. sees drop in rates

Preventive placement of ICDs improves survival in patients with less severe heart failure

First Edition: July 3,2014

State highlights: Ore. mediation for medical errors; Mich. home-help aides

Viewpoints: Court complicates women's health care; decouple work and coverage; Cuomo's fight against AIDS

Medicare proposes home health payment reductions, savings

Indiana seeks OK for Medicaid expansion alternative; Calif. wrestles with Medi-Cal backlog

New meta-analysis highlights significant gaps in hepatitis C care

Testosterone therapy does not increase men's risk for heart attack, shows UTMB study

Forest Laboratories completes acquisition of Furiex Pharmaceuticals

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act can improve health of the US population

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (2nd Edition) eBook

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

Latest News