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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.

New, improved healthcare.gov gets praise, but problems persist

Administration officials lauded the website fixes and said that 750,000 users logged on Monday, but insurers continued to have concerns about the transfer of inaccurate data and automated subsidy calculations.

5 Dec 2013

1.46 million enroll in Medicaid through health law exchanges

The Obama administration said Tuesday that more than 1.46 million people have been found eligible and signed up for Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program in October.

5 Dec 2013

States lead in health law insurance sign-up race

States operating their own insurance websites are leading the federal government in signing up people for health coverage. Though healthcare.gov, the federal website which serves the residents of 36 states, is working better for some, complicated cases still bewilder "navigators" -- and Texas has proposed new rules and background checks for the workers.

5 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 4, 2013

Today's headlines spotlight the White House's push to defend the health law and advance positive messages about its benefits.

4 Dec 2013

Update on reimbursement coverage for Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation procedures

Uroplasty, Inc. a medical device company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative proprietary products for the treatment of voiding dysfunctions, today provided an update on reimbursement coverage for Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation (PTNS) procedures delivered via the Company's Urgent® PC Neuromodulation System for treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) and associated symptoms of urinary urgency, urinary frequency and urge incontinence.

4 Dec 2013

Takeda and Teva announce agreement related to commercialization of glatiramer acetate in Japan

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) today announced the signing earlier this year of an agreement in which Teva licensed to Takeda the right to commercialize Teva's innovative glatiramer acetate ( active ingredient) formulation for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, in Japan.

4 Dec 2013

Frequent emergency department users have multiple chronic conditions, many hospitalizations

While it has often been said that the most frequent users of overburdened hospital emergency departments are mentally ill substance abusers, a study out today (Dec. 3) by researchers from NYU Wagner and the University of California, San Francisco, has found that this belief is unfounded - an "urban legend."

4 Dec 2013

Problem transferring Medicaid enrollment data could leave some without coverage

The difficulty with sending the completed Medicaid applications from the federal website to states for final processing could leave some of the newly enrolled without coverage early next year. To circumvent the problem, administration officials agreed to let states enroll people without their full applications. But that poses potential risks for states.

4 Dec 2013

Reviews mixed for 'fixed' health care website

Some said the Monday's healthcare.gov relaunch -- marked by heavy traffic -- was "rocky" and "bumpy," but administration officials maintained the user experience was much smoother as a result of fixes.

4 Dec 2013

Feds may help offset insurers' losses on canceled policies; if website falters again, some consumers face increased risks

The White House is offering more money to insurance companies as an incentive for them to let people keep insurance policies that were to have been canceled next year. The administration floated several proposals on Monday to "help offset the loss in premium revenue and profit" that it said might occur if insurers went along with President Obama's request to reinstate canceled policies (Pear, 12/2).

4 Dec 2013

California's small business insurance exchange opens for business

Even though the federal government announced last week that it would delay the federal small business online marketplace, California's began operating on Monday for businesses with as many as 50 employees.

3 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 3, 2013

Today's headlines include coverage of the mixed reviews regarding healthcare.gov's "relaunch" as well as the White House strategy to move past the website's difficulties.

3 Dec 2013

State highlights: States push greater mental health spending after Sandy Hook; Wis. move to delay dropping some from Medicaid may save money

At least 37 states have increased spending on mental health in the year since Adam Lanza shot dead 20 children, six school employees and his mother in Newtown, Conn. It's not just about money, either. States are experimenting with new -- and sometimes controversial -- ways to raise awareness about psychological distress, to make treatment more accessible for children and adults and to keep firearms away from those struggling with mental illness (Simon, 12/2).

3 Dec 2013

Reimbursement cuts for image-guided breast biopsies may reduce women's access to mammography

Drastic reimbursement cuts for image-guided breast biopsies, and other medical imaging techniques in the 2014 Medicare Fee Schedule Final Rule, may further reduce women's access to mammography and other breast cancer services. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services directly cut imaging reimbursement every year since 2007. This, along with 12 Medicare imaging cuts in the last six years due to legislation, increasingly threatens patient care.

3 Dec 2013

Viewpoints: Where's Obama's 'Mission Accomplished' banner?; health law critics overlooking those denied affordable care in the past

Great news: The White House says that Healthcare.gov and the 36 federally run insurance exchanges are finally good to go. The only thing missing from Sunday's relentlessly upbeat progress report was President Obama in front of a "Mission Accomplished" banner. Sunday's eight-page report was intended to meet Mr. Obama's deadline for fixing the site after its October 1 debut was a calamity. But the more important goal was political -- namely, claiming enough progress to prevent Democrats on Capitol Hill from joining the GOP demand for delaying the individual mandate to buy insurance or even the entire program (12/1).

3 Dec 2013

Medicare looks to narrow discrepancy on what it spends in different parts of U.S.

Medicare wants to narrow the discrepancy on what it spends on some health services in different parts of the country. In the meantime, UnitedHealthcare is dropping hundreds of doctors from its Medicare Advantage plans and the Government Accountability Office says Medicare doesn't know how well its contractors' anti-fraud efforts are working.

3 Dec 2013

Medicaid expansion could exacerbate doctor shortage

As more people gain access to coverage as a result of the health law's expansion of the state-federal insurance program for the poor, finding doctors willing to treat them may be a challenge. Other stories look at how Americans in similar circumstances face vastly different health coverage options because of where they live.

3 Dec 2013

Insurers worry about back end repairs to HealthCare.gov

The system that is supposed to deliver consumers' information to insurers still needs to be repaired -- with only 30 days to go before coverage is supposed to begin for many people. Meanwhile, Bloomberg News reports that insurers will initially estimate what they are owed by the government rather than have the government calculate the bill due to another software problem.

3 Dec 2013

First Edition: December 2, 2013

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about healthcare.gov's status, the challenges that lie ahead and the concerns being expressed by consumers and insurers.

2 Dec 2013

Science Translational Medicine editorial urges researchers to support the Affordable Care Act

An editorial by Harry P. Selker, MD, MSPH, William H. Frist, MD, and Stuart Altman, PhD, published in the November 27 issue of Science Translational Medicine says the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is an example of the role of experimentation in improving health at the public policy level.

2 Dec 2013

Medicaid News and Research

New, improved healthcare.gov gets praise, but problems persist

1.46 million enroll in Medicaid through health law exchanges

States lead in health law insurance sign-up race

First Edition: December 4, 2013

Update on reimbursement coverage for Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation procedures

Takeda and Teva announce agreement related to commercialization of glatiramer acetate in Japan

Frequent emergency department users have multiple chronic conditions, many hospitalizations

Problem transferring Medicaid enrollment data could leave some without coverage

Reviews mixed for 'fixed' health care website

Feds may help offset insurers' losses on canceled policies; if website falters again, some consumers face increased risks

California's small business insurance exchange opens for business

First Edition: December 3, 2013

State highlights: States push greater mental health spending after Sandy Hook; Wis. move to delay dropping some from Medicaid may save money

Reimbursement cuts for image-guided breast biopsies may reduce women's access to mammography

Viewpoints: Where's Obama's 'Mission Accomplished' banner?; health law critics overlooking those denied affordable care in the past

Medicare looks to narrow discrepancy on what it spends in different parts of U.S.

Medicaid expansion could exacerbate doctor shortage

Insurers worry about back end repairs to HealthCare.gov

First Edition: December 2, 2013

Science Translational Medicine editorial urges researchers to support the Affordable Care Act

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