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Research roundup: Looking at CHIP to gauge effect of health law on doctors; Insurers' spending on quality improvements

In this study published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, researchers analyzed the 1997 Children's Health Insurance Program to evaluate the potential changes in physicians' work hours in response to a large expansion in coverage.

6 Apr 2013

N.C. governor proposes managed care move for state's Medicaid program

North Carolina Gov. Pay McCrory is proposing to privatize Medicaid to save money in the $13 billion program while stakeholders in Texas, Florida and California also consider changes to their Medicaid plans.

5 Apr 2013

Catamaran receives Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation from URAC for BriovaRx

Catamaran Corp., a leading provider of pharmacy benefit management services and technology today announced that its specialty brand, BriovaRx, has been awarded Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation from URAC, a Washington, D.C.-based accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the healthcare industry.

4 Apr 2013

Roundup: Feds cut N.Y. Medicaid payments $1.2B; 93,000 fewer kids enroll in CHIP in Pa.; W. Va. lawmakers promise miners benefits

Federal authorities have dramatically lowered the amount that New York state can claim from the federal government for certain medical services, costing the state an estimated $1.2 billion.

3 Apr 2013

Roundup: D.C. sued over Medicaid reimbursement; Texas end-of-life care compromise close; Vt. to post health care rates

Two facilities that treat severely ill poor patients could be forced to curtail services if the District does not fully reimburse them for Medicaid costs, according to a lawsuit filed this week.

2 Apr 2013

Researchers find no association between receiving too many vaccines too soon and autism

Although scientific evidence suggests that vaccines do not cause autism, approximately one-third of parents continue to express concern that they do; nearly 1 in 10 parents refuse or delay vaccinations because they believe it is safer than following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's schedule.

30 Mar 2013

How much will the health law cost? Depends on whom you ask

Some restaurant chains now say the health law may not cost them so much after all -- mostly because many employees either won't qualify for coverage or may decline it. Meanwhile, analysis continues of a Society of Actuaries projection of big increases in medical claims costs for insurers in the individual market. And the Associated Press examines President Barack Obama's promises regarding health care.

29 Mar 2013

First Edition: March 28, 2013

Today's headlines include various stories about the health law's implementation at both the federal and state level.

28 Mar 2013

Roundup: Report finds Mass. biotech spending creates jobs; Federal audit calls for N.Y. Medicaid program to repay funds

News outlets report on health care developments in California, Colorado, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina and Texas.

27 Mar 2013

Paramount Advantage to serve eligible Medicaid recipients throughout Ohio

Paramount Advantage has been approved to serve eligible Medicaid recipients throughout Ohio. It was offered a statewide provider agreement by the Office of Medical Assistance (formerly the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services) to expand its service area from 18 to 88 counties.

26 Mar 2013

Louisiana attorney general challenges $200 million Medicaid contract

The Louisiana attorney general's office advised Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration to cancel a nearly $200 million Medicaid contract with a Maryland company that has ties to the governor's health secretary.

26 Mar 2013

Roundup: Calif. deal allows smaller-than-proposed reduction in home health care; Texas senate panel weighs end of life bills

A selection of health policy stories from California, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Florida, Kansas and Colorado.

21 Mar 2013

Ariz., Fla. governors face intra-party opposition to Medicaid expansion

News outlets reports that, in Florida, Gov. Rick Scott's support for the expansion was rebuffed by a Senate panel that voted against the expansion plan and instead is advancing an idea that would use federal money for private insurance.

14 Mar 2013

State roundup: Sequestration's impacts include less grant dollars

Sequestration spares Medicaid and almost all of Medicare, but automatic cuts to other federal health-care programs will make it more difficult for low-income Americans to get maternal and infant care, vaccinate their children, and receive treatment for mental illness.

12 Mar 2013

Insurers see opportunities in Medicaid expansion while states mull pros and cons

Business analysts view the expansion as "several hundreds of billions of dollars" worth of opportunity for Medicaid health plans. Meanwhile, news organizations track the continuing debate in Kentucky, Florida, New Hampshire and Texas about whether to participate in the expansion.

11 Mar 2013

Roundup: States form panels to fight federal powers, health law; Review shows 3,000 dropped from Medicaid in Pa. were eligible

One bill would make it a felony to enforce the new federal health care law, punishable by up to five years in prison. Another prohibits a physician from asking a patient about firearms.

7 Mar 2013

Roundup: Mass. health costs may start accelerating again; Review questions Minn. HMO payment rates; Calif. lawmakers approve health care bills

After several years of moderating costs, there are signs the rate of increase in Massachusetts health care prices -- and insurance premiums -- may soon start accelerating again, exceeding a heralded cost cap set by the state last year.

5 Mar 2013

Screening colonoscopy associated with reduced advanced colorectal cancer diagnoses

A new study led by a researcher at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania adds support to current medical recommendations stating that screening colonoscopy substantially reduces an average-risk adult's likelihood of being diagnosed with advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) in either the right or left side of the colon.

4 Mar 2013

Proposals to transform Medicaid spur enthusiasm, worries

Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber pushes his state's model for "reinventing" Medicaid with coordinated care organizations, while a proposed expansion of Medicaid managed care in Texas sparks worries about care for the disabled.

28 Feb 2013

Other governors pressured for and against Medicaid expansion

In North Carolina, lawmakers passed legislation barring the state from expanding the program for the poor, while in Pennsylvania, Kansas and West Virginia, supporters are pressing the economic and political advantages of the health law provision made optional by the Supreme Court.