Medicare News and Research

RSS

First Edition: February 18, 2014

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jay Hancock, working in collaboration with USA Today, reports: "Congratulations. You bought insurance through one of the online Affordable Care Act exchanges, possibly after days or weeks of trying to get the site to work. Don't relax. Joining the plan is only the first challenge. Now you have to understand it. Policies sold through the online portals -- to more than 3 million people so far -- cover essential benefits and put a cap on your out-of-pocket medical costs. But you need to follow the rules" (Hancock, 2/17).

18 Feb 2014

MAXIMUS Foundation distributes grants to 87 local non-profit organizations

MAXIMUS, a leading provider of government services worldwide, announced today that the MAXIMUS Foundation has distributed approximately $206,000 in grants to 87 local non-profit organizations as part of its most recent grant cycle.

18 Feb 2014

'Copper' plans? Health law backers push for new, lower premium coverage

Some health law proponents are urging officials to create "copper" plans that offer lower deductibles, but higher out-of-pocket costs than the health law's gold, silver and bronze plans.

17 Feb 2014

Johns Hopkins experts identify major sources of high cancer costs

In a review article published Feb. 14 in The Lancet Oncology, Johns Hopkins experts identify three major sources of high cancer costs and argue that cancer doctors can likely reduce them without harm to patients. The cost-cutting proposals call for changes in routine clinical practice involved in end-of-life care, medical imaging and drug pricing.

17 Feb 2014

House GOP attacks Obama on Medicare Advantage cuts

The letter from the Republican leadership team is a sign the GOP will seize on the cuts and blame the administration, betting the issue will help the party in the midterm elections.

16 Feb 2014

Research roundup: Examining readmissions; easing doctor burnout

Despite massive early IT problems, exchange enrollment is accelerating rapidly. While enrollment may not reach 7 million by the end of March, we expect at least 5 million to have enrolled by the close of the initial open-enrollment period. If enrollment falls far short, HHS could extend open enrollment for a fixed period to reach its 7 million target. ... We project that 5 million new beneficiaries will be covered by Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program by the end of 2014. Medicaid managed-care enrollment of non-dual beneficiaries will increase by 20 percent from 2013 to 2014 and by 38 percent from 2013 to 2016. We expect that 75 percent of non-dual Medicaid beneficiaries will be covered by Managed Care Organizations starting in 2015, up from 63 percent in 2012 (Feb. 2014).

14 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 14, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports on the least expensive health insurance markets and efforts to set up skimpier plans under the health law.

14 Feb 2014

More than 1 million people signed up for health plans in January -- bringing the total tally to more than 3 million

According to Obama administration officials, the overall enrollment figure reflects people who enrolled in coverage through the federal or state exchanges from October through January.

14 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: Decoupling jobs and insurance; overblown fear: Medicaid willl take my house

Three blog posts and a column should probably suffice to cover the debate over Obamacare and work incentives, but I don't want to let the topic drop without first stepping back and talking about the actual health policy disagreement here.

14 Feb 2014

Senate sends president 'clean' debt limit bill

The Senate has approved and sent President Obama a "clean" debt limit bill, allowing the federal government to borrow money. The tactic by the GOP to pass the clean bill is criticized by non-Washington conservatives but allows most Republican lawmakers to vote against it.

14 Feb 2014

Healthways reports net loss of $5.3 million in Q4 2013

Ben R. Leedle, Jr., president and chief executive officer of Healthways, Inc., today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2013. Total revenues for the quarter were $169.2 million compared with $175.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2012.

13 Feb 2014

GOP states struggling with Medicaid expansion issues

Meanwhile, McClatchy News reports that higher rates of mental illness and substance abuse among the newly enrolled will be a problem because there aren't enough therapists who accept Medicaid patients. Medicaid expansion developments in New Hampshire, North Dakota, Wyoming and Virginia are also covered.

13 Feb 2014

Optum Labs announces addition of seven new charter partners to improve quality of patient care

Optum Labs, the collaborative research and innovation center founded by Optum and Mayo Clinic, today announced the addition of seven new charter partners committed to improving the quality and value of patient care. The announcement follows the recent addition of AARP as Founding Consumer Advocate Organization of the collaborative.

13 Feb 2014

FDA grants full approval of SYNRIBO for injection

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval of SYNRIBO (omacetaxine mepesuccinate) for injection. This oncology portfolio product received an accelerated approval in October, 2012 with additional clinical trial data required to fulfill post marketing requirements set forth by the FDA.

13 Feb 2014

First Edition: February 13, 2014

Today's headlines include news coverage of yesterday's update from the Obama administration regarding the number of people who have enrolled in private health insurance through the health law's online marketplaces.

13 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: Obama's 'cavalier approach' to health law; CBO report's job forecast isn't bad news

The Obama administration on Monday announced that it was delaying, once again, enforcement of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) "employer mandate." Yes, Republicans have done everything they can to impede implementation of this law.

13 Feb 2014

State highlights: More states gearing up to combine Medicare, Medicaid; vaccination exemptions still considered by many states; likely Texas democratic Gov. Candidate backs 20-week abortion ban

A selection of health policy stories from California, Texas, Colorado, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida and Connecticut.

13 Feb 2014

Study disputes effectiveness of mortality as measure of quality of care provided to stroke patients

A new study disputes the effectiveness of mortality as a measure of the quality of care provided by hospitals to stroke patients. The paper - which was simultaneously presented today at the International Stroke Conference in San Diego and published in the journal Stroke - found that use of do-not-resuscitate orders differ widely between hospitals and that this variation can significantly skew a hospital's quality "ranking" based on mortality.

13 Feb 2014

Proposal to change Medicare's 'observation status' gains Congressional support

After years of trying, Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., says he is optimistic that Congress will change the Medicare policy that has left thousands of patients without coverage for nursing home care after leaving the hospital.

13 Feb 2014

ChartMaxx achieves 2014 Edition Modular EHR ONC Health IT Certification

ChartMaxx, the enterprise content management (ECM) solution from Quest Diagnostics, has achieved 2014 Edition Modular EHR ONC Health IT Certification which supports both Stages 1 and 2 of the Meaningful Use (MU) program.

From Quest Diagnostics 12 Feb 2014