Managed Care News and Research

RSS

State highlights: N.C. lawmakers still talking about Medicaid revamp; changes to La. health plan for state workers stir controversy

Legislators who couldn't agree this year on how to overhaul North Carolina's Medicaid program plan to spend more time talking about the issue before the General Assembly reconvenes early next year. A legislative oversight panel subcommittee charged with examining Medicaid reform and reorganization scheduled its first meeting Wednesday. Another oversight panel also examining Medicaid governance held its first meeting this month. The House and Senate approved differing versions of legislation to change how Medicaid pays for medical expenses by shifting risk from the state to either medical provider networks or private managed-care companies (9/24).

26 Sep 2014

State highlights: Calif. gov. signs rural telehealth bill; Louisiana's ex-health secretary indicted

States around the country are taking advantage of a once little-used policy that allows them to bill Medicaid for the healthcare expenses of prisoners who leave a correctional institution for treatment. Since 1997, states have been allowed to bill Medicaid for the care of inmates who required treatment at a hospital or nursing facility for longer than 24 hours. The provision has drawn new attention this year as millions of Americans, including those serving time in correctional institutions, have become newly eligible for Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Dickson, 9/23).

25 Sep 2014

Medicaid expansion, uninsured coverage issues continue to simmer in Virginia

More than six out of 10 Virginia voters support an expansion of Medicaid benefits to cover the estimated 400,000 state residents in the coverage gap, according to a new survey released on the eve of a special session of the Virginia General Assembly to discuss the issue. But nearly half of Virginians surveyed have doubts that the federal government would fully fund its share of the program, according to the poll, conducted by the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University (Nolan, 9/17).

17 Sep 2014

State highlights: N.Y. sues drugmaker over Alzheimer's drug switch; Ariz. Republican resigns over Medicaid remarks

New York State's attorney general filed an antitrust lawsuit on Monday seeking to stop a pharmaceutical company from forcing patients with Alzheimer's disease to switch to a new version of a widely used drug. The lawsuit contends that the switch is designed to blunt competition from low-priced generic versions of the medication (Pollack, 9/15).

17 Sep 2014

Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group named recipient of 2014 AMGA Acclaim Award

The American Medical Group Association today announced that the recipient of the 2014 AMGA Acclaim Award is Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group for an innovative and integrated method to drive population health using a collaborative, team-based approach.

16 Sep 2014

State highlights: States want home care worker wage changes delayed; Ga. delays nursing home rate hike

State officials that argued against providing overtime and minimum wage protections to the nation's 2 million home care workers are asking the Department of Labor to push back a Jan. 1 start date for the policy to take effect. State Medicaid officials concerned that their costs will rise are asking for a delay and tweaks to the policy, even though the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized the rule a year ago.

15 Sep 2014

Private managed care companies lose money under KanCare

The three private insurance companies that administer the Kansas Medicaid program under KanCare lost $72.6 million in the first half of 2014, after losing $110 million in 2013. Rep. Jim Ward, a member of a KanCare oversight committee who requested the fiscal information from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, questioned Tuesday how long the three companies can sustain such losses.

10 Sep 2014

Researchers receive $23.8 million from CMS to improve HIV prevention and care

Researchers at the George Washington University (GW) were awarded a grant estimated to be funded at $23.8 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to study a new model that aims to improve HIV prevention and care while lowering healthcare costs.

8 Sep 2014

State highlights: Democrats consider letting states curb health costs; obesity in America

Borrowing a Republican idea, a group including former senior Obama and Clinton advisers is unveiling a novel proposal to let states take the lead in controlling health costs.

8 Sep 2014

On campaign trail, Ky. GOP candidates promise Medicaid expansion repeal

In the meantime, Illinois bets on birth control as a way to drive down Medicaid costs, and Florida Health News looks at the top Medicaid managed care companies in Florida.

4 Sep 2014

Commercial health care spending up from higher medical service costs

Recent growth in health care spending for commercially insured individuals is due primarily to increases in prices for medical services, rather than increased use, according to a new study led by researchers at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice, published in the August issue of the American Journal of Managed Care.

30 Aug 2014

Pennsylvania's Corbett becomes 9th GOP governor to expand Medicaid

Gov. Tom Corbett reached a deal with the Obama administration to use federal funds to put about 500,000 low-income residents into managed care plans already used by the state. There were conflicting reports about the details of the federal waiver, but Corbett's original plan to include work incentives was not approved.

30 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 29, 2014

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about the Obama administration and Pennsylvania reaching an agreement to expand Medicaid in that state.

29 Aug 2014

School nurses reach 98% of students in U.S. public schools to diagnose primary immunodeficiency

School nurses reach 98 percent of the 50,000,000 students in U.S. public schools, grades k-12, and are uniquely positioned to facilitate the early diagnosis of serious medical conditions such as primary immunodeficiency (PI).

28 Aug 2014

Centene’s Missouri subsidiary earns Medicaid and Marketplace HMO accreditation by NCQA

Centene Corporation announced today that its wholly-owned Missouri subsidiary, Home State Health, has earned Medicaid and Marketplace HMO accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance.

28 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

Self-reported health measures can predict Medicaid adults who need intensive health services

Just three types of simple self-reported health measures can predict which Medicaid-eligible adults are more likely to access intensive and costly health services over the next year, a new study in Health Services Research suggests. The findings could provide a new way to save a substantial amount of money while also providing better care for Medicaid's neediest patients.

20 Aug 2014

Managed Care News and Research

State highlights: N.C. lawmakers still talking about Medicaid revamp; changes to La. health plan for state workers stir controversy

State highlights: Calif. gov. signs rural telehealth bill; Louisiana's ex-health secretary indicted

Medicaid expansion, uninsured coverage issues continue to simmer in Virginia

State highlights: N.Y. sues drugmaker over Alzheimer's drug switch; Ariz. Republican resigns over Medicaid remarks

Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group named recipient of 2014 AMGA Acclaim Award

State highlights: States want home care worker wage changes delayed; Ga. delays nursing home rate hike

Private managed care companies lose money under KanCare

Researchers receive $23.8 million from CMS to improve HIV prevention and care

State highlights: Democrats consider letting states curb health costs; obesity in America

On campaign trail, Ky. GOP candidates promise Medicaid expansion repeal

Commercial health care spending up from higher medical service costs

Pennsylvania's Corbett becomes 9th GOP governor to expand Medicaid

First Edition: August 29, 2014

School nurses reach 98% of students in U.S. public schools to diagnose primary immunodeficiency

Centene’s Missouri subsidiary earns Medicaid and Marketplace HMO accreditation by NCQA

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

Self-reported health measures can predict Medicaid adults who need intensive health services

Illinois took federal Medicaid money it couldn't repay, audit says

MCMC announces sale of MCRS program business to PCM

Medicaid expansion dilemmas: Mental health care demands, impact of managed care, non-expansion states squeezed

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st 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