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.

GOP leaders increasingly signal that deep spending cuts are likely

The across-the-board spending reductions -- also known as sequestration -- scheduled for March 1 could play into the partisan politics of the broader budget debate that includes Medicare, Medicaid and other entitlement programs.

31 Jan 2013

House Republicans keep target on health law's insurance subsidies

Meanwhile, a new GOP lawmaker from Texas renews his pledge to undo "ObamaCare" while a senator focuses on workforce issues.

31 Jan 2013

Texas Gov.'s speech disrupted by protesters demanding Medicaid expansion

Texas Gov. Rick Perry was interrupted during a budget speech Tuesday by protesters demanding he expand Medicaid.

31 Jan 2013

States and the health law: Action on insurance exchanges, Medicaid expansion

The Associated Press and other news outlets report on state action on the health law's insurance exchanges as well as the Medicaid expansion.

31 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: Baker and Dingell urge efforts to cut gun deaths; Doctors as union workers

Gun violence now rivals traffic accidents as the leading cause of death by injury in the United States. Quite simply, gun violence threatens to overwhelm us. Americans are grappling for strategies to make sure that the horror that occurred in Newtown isn't repeated.

31 Jan 2013

State roundup: Fla. leaders pay less for coverage than workers

In statehouses around the country, some of the nation's biggest biotechnology companies are lobbying intensively to limit generic competition to their blockbuster drugs, potentially cutting into the billions of dollars in savings on drug costs contemplated in the federal health care overhaul law.

30 Jan 2013

States and the Medicaid expansion: This year's big choice

One of the biggest decisions governors and legislatures will wrestle with in 2013 is whether to pursue the health law's Medicaid expansion.

30 Jan 2013

Calif. Medicaid providers appeal court decision that would allow cut in pay

California is also preparing for a boom of children who will soon qualify for dental care in the Medicaid program. In the meantime, transitions in the Kansas' Medicaid program encounter problems.

30 Jan 2013

Viewpoints: Gov. Jindal calls Medicaid an 'outdated model;' GOP's opposition to 'Big Government' hurts effort to revamp entitlements

As the implementation of Obamacare unfortunately nears, every governor must decide whether to expand Medicaid. This is not a simple question. Expanding Medicaid will significantly burden state budgets across the country.

29 Jan 2013

The emergency department: middle-man for pediatric referrals

Specialists are more willing to see publicly insured pediatric patients if they are referred from an emergency department rather than directly from a primary care physician, according to research findings from the USA.

29 Jan 2013

Building health insurance exchanges

News outlets report on small business concerns, the potential impact of immigration reform and how some medical device makers are passing on new fees to their customers.

29 Jan 2013

How the Medicaid expansion is playing in certain states

In New Jersey, advocates are making a case for the state to pursue this part of the health law, but Wisconsin's governor is pointing to its complexity as an argument against it. The Washington state legislature is also giving an expansion a long look.

29 Jan 2013

Democrats defend safety net, propose modest adjustments

That partisan gibe was telling. He defended two programs, Medicare and Medicaid, begun nearly a half-century ago, and a third, Social Security, that dates from the Great Depression. The federal welfare commitments that Mr. Obama praised in observing that "a great nation must care for the vulnerable" also date back to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's time.

29 Jan 2013

Harkin's retirement leaves hole in Senate health care leadership -- and parties are scrambling

The retirement of Sen. Tom Harkin -- a key health care figure in the Senate -- has both parties scrambling to field someone to fill the seat.

29 Jan 2013

Roundup: Feds say Ariz. overbilled them $12M on Medicaid; Insurer v. co-op coverage fight in Md.

Arizona failed to properly document efforts to enroll children in its Medicaid program for years and overcharged the federal government nearly $12 million, auditors found in a report expected to be released today. In addition to recommending that Arizona repay the federal government $11.7 million, the report by the inspector general for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests the review of an additional $18.8 million as questionable billing.

29 Jan 2013

Poll: 6 in 10 oppose cutting Medicare to lower deficit

A new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation has found that most of the public wants deficit reduction, but they want it without cutting major social programs like Medicare and Medicaid. On health care, the public favors requiring drug makers to give the government 'a better deal' on medications for low-income seniors and making higher-income seniors pay more for coverage to reduce the deficit. Kaiser Health News is an editorially independent program of the Foundation.

28 Jan 2013

GOP vows to stick to principles, including Medicare and Medicaid

News outlets covered the winter meeting of the Republican National Committee, where party members said they needed to adjust their tone, but not their conservative positions, including on entitlements.

28 Jan 2013

Lawmakers target fiscal cliff's provision aiding Amgen for elimination

The fiscal cliff legislation approved earlier this month excluded Amgen's Sensipar, which is used by kidney dialysis patients, from Medicare price controls for an additional two years.

28 Jan 2013

Health law's Medicaid expansion raises possibilities, problems for states

California Gov. Jerry Brown describes implementing the expansion as "incredibly complex," while Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder sees it an opportunity to address gaps in the mental health system. In Arizona, meanwhile, the expansion is framed as an immigration issue.

28 Jan 2013

Medicare foots $120 million bill for patient groups not eligible for the program

According to two government reports, the Medicare program was billed for more than $33 million in inmate care and more than $91 million for illegal immigrant care between 2009 and 2011. Medicare generally does not pay for services for either of these patient groups.

28 Jan 2013