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.

Buying health insurance no longer a year-round option

The Associated Press reports that those who purchase coverage directly from insurers must do it within open enrollment periods, unless they experience a life-changing event such as a move or a job change.

7 Apr 2014

First Edition: April 4, 2014

Today's headlines include reports about a Capitol Hill hearing in which state exchange officials discussed the difficulties they faced with the operation of their online insurance marketplaces.

4 Apr 2014

Viewpoints: 'Pent-up demand' for health care; too early for that White House victory lap; the fight over Medicare advantage

More than seven million people have signed up for insurance on the new federal and state health exchanges, President Obama said this week. Millions more could be added to that total once insurers tally up the people who bought policies directly from them and when those who tried to apply on balky websites are able to complete the process.

4 Apr 2014

New Medicaid era takes different paths in Mich., Wis.

The neighboring states opt for different approaches to Medicaid expansion. Meanwhile, in Missouri, two Republican lawmakers clash over whether to accept the health law's expansion, and the Pennsylvania governor says he is nearly ready to pull back his proposal that is languishing with federal officials.

4 Apr 2014

Now that open enrollment has ended, what are the health law's next challenges?

News outlets are beginning to focus on the next set of implementation chores, as well as the ways in which the law will impact the health care marketplace.

4 Apr 2014

Ryan budget plan stirs opposition on both sides of the aisle

The proposal from House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., would cut $5 trillion over the next decade by repealing the Affordable Care Act and making sharp cuts to health care programs for the middle class and the poor. Democrats are incorporating the proposal into their midterm campaign strategy, while some Republicans, angered by the House leadership's handling of the 'doc fix' vote, are also expressing doubts.

4 Apr 2014

Confident from enrollment numbers, Obama turns focus to GOP health care and budget plans

President Barack Obama continued to tout the success of the health care law, using the momentum to attack the House GOP's new budget proposal, as well as providing a blueprint for the defense of the law for Democrats in upcoming elections.

4 Apr 2014

Medicare will release billing data from doctors

The information will include data on what services doctors used, the average amount they charged Medicare and what they were paid. Doctors have fought such disclosures in the past.

4 Apr 2014

Jindal offers alternative to health law

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal unveiled a 26-page health plan that emphasizes the role of states in keeping health costs down while giving consumers more flexibility. He also reiterates the need to repeal Obamacare.

3 Apr 2014

First Edition: April 3, 2014

Today's headlines include reports on how Paul Ryan's budget is playing on Capitol Hill as well as news that the Obama administration is releasing a trove of data on physician services and payments.

3 Apr 2014

Viewpoints: GOP can no longer wait for Obamacare 'to implode;' Ryan's version of 'trickle-down economics'

Now that Obamacare has finished with an amazing surge in signups, apparently passing the 7 million mark for the exchanges, there have been two main responses. Republicans are in full-on denial - the books are cooked! Nobody has paid! It's only because people have been forced to do it! Benghazi! Vince Foster! Meanwhile, progressives are full of caution.

3 Apr 2014

Highlights: Abortion restrictions in Mississippi, Arizona

And in Hawaii and Los Angeles, some advocacy groups are worrying about providing health insurance to migrant workers and undocumented workers.

3 Apr 2014

Fight over Medicaid expansion intensifies in Virginia, other states

The battle for the future of Medicaid in Virginia is expected to heat up, with both sides of the divide playing close attention to a proposal to expand the program through the state budget.

3 Apr 2014

Maryland scraps exchange software, will buy Connecticut's system

Now that the enrollment period has ended, the board that runs Maryland's troubled online insurance marketplace has opted to start over with a system that worked well in Connecticut.

3 Apr 2014

Ryan plan would repeal health law, offer private option Medicare

The budget proposal by Rep. Paul Ryan, House Budget chairman and a possible Republican contender for the White House in 2016, would repeal the health law but maintain its savings and taxes. Beginning with those who turn 65 in 2024, it would offer seniors a fixed amount to purchase a private plan or traditional fee for service Medicare.

3 Apr 2014

First Edition: April 2, 2014

Today's headlines include news and analysis about the 7 million insurance enrollment tally. Reporting for Kaiser Health News, in partnership with NPR, Eric Whitney writes: "The names of the big health insurance companies are familiar – Blue Cross, Aetna, United Healthcare. But what about CoOportunity Health, or Health Republic Insurance of New York? These are among 23 new health insurance companies that started under the Affordable Care Act.

2 Apr 2014

Viewpoints: 'Thrice-buried' Obamacare 'looks very much alive;' Ted Cruz 'gets an earful'

Back when rate shock, website problems and lagging enrollment were threatening to unravel the new health care law before it fully took effect, I concluded a column on Obamacare's repeated near-death experiences with the following warning to conservatives: ... What isn't killed outright grows stronger the longer it's embedded in the federal apparatus, gaining constituents and interest-group support just by virtue of its existence even if it doesn't work out the way it was designed. ... the serious right-of-center alternatives to Obamacare have always included policies to expand coverage, and with a coverage expansion accomplished, Republicans may find themselves effectively forced in a more serious direction. ... wherever they go and whatever they do, they will have to deal with the reality that Obamacare, thrice-buried, looks very much alive (Ross Douthat, 3/31).

2 Apr 2014