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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.

HHS inspector to step up anti-fraud and abuse efforts in 2012

One new item on the to-do list will be to review hospitals deemed to be at high risk of submitting improper bills to Medicare. Also, The Fiscal Times details how lab test costs could be squeezing Medicare and Medicaid.

7 Oct 2011

CLASS implementation oversight listed in HHS work plan

But GOP lawmakers are seeking an actuarial report from the Department of Health and Human Services that may offer insights into this controversial long-term care insurance program's fiscal viability.

7 Oct 2011

On campaign stump, Obama embraces 'Obamacare'

Also on the trail, a conservative group has launched ads aimed at derailing Mitt Romney's run for the GOP presidential nomination. One of their reasons: his record on health reform while governor of Massachusetts. Meanwhile, at a fundraiser, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius charges Republicans with turning back the clock on women's health.

7 Oct 2011

Hints of progress emerge from 'super committee' deliberations

A top GOP House lawmaker hopes the deficit-cutting panel will focus entirely on health care costs to reach the $1.2 trillion savings target. Meanwhile, in the background, the Wall Street Journal reports that nearly half of all U.S. households receive government benefits, with about 34% getting means-tested assistance such as Medicaid.

7 Oct 2011

'Super Committee' cuts in Medicaid spending could have major impact on state budgets

Also, in other Medicaid news, a Florida official testifies in court that the state system for children has no major problems while criticism grows of plan to turn over the Medicaid program to managed care companies.

7 Oct 2011

With recession pressures and changes in working patterns, more people are losing insurance

The Des Moines Register examines a new report on the decline in employer-based health insurance while The Philadelphia Inquirer highlights the increasing number of people losing insurance because of the economic downturn. In Georgia, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution finds more people turning to high-deductible insurance policies.

7 Oct 2011

'Bad' hospitals may treat larger proportion of poor patients, study finds

The nation's worst hospitals treat twice the proportion of elderly black patients and poor patients than the best hospitals, and their patients are more likely to die of heart attacks and pneumonia, new research shows. Now, these hospitals, mostly in the South, may be at higher risk of financial failure, too. That's because the nation's new health care law punishes bad care by withholding some money, says the lead author of the study published Wednesday in the journal Health Affairs.

7 Oct 2011

Longer looks: A new life for Bart Stupak; The Komen Foundation and BPA; moving primary care out of the ER

Former Democratic congressman Bart Stupak is relishing the good life. After nine terms in the House of Representatives, the once obscure, pro-life, conservative legislator who became the flash point in last year's historic health care debate gave up his seat to become a gilded Washington operative - a partner in the Government and Legislative Affairs Group of Venable LLP. … Even before he negotiated a last-minute deal with President Obama to ban federal funding for abortion and provided the defining vote, he called his life "a living hell." "I was the face of health care. Whatever you thought about it, I was it," he says calmly. "I'm surprised I never got shot."

7 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: Jobs and 'Obamacare;' jurisdictional barriers to health law challenges; reforming provider payment

By most of the usual measures, President Obama has no business being reelected. Here's why he might be anyway. On Wednesday morning, as Senate Democratic leaders were scrambling to find a way to enact part of Obama's jobs bill, a dozen Republican lawmakers assembled outside the Capitol to complain about ... health-care reform.

7 Oct 2011

The male circumcision debate continues

Much has been written on the controversies and debates on whether males – from infants to adults – have a human right to retain their foreskin. The protestors have helped persuade 18 states to stop paying for circumcisions under their Medicaid health insurance programs.

5 Oct 2011

Person's insurance status determines nursing home hospitalizations

The decision by nursing homes whether or not to treat an ill resident on-site or send them to a hospital are often linked to that person's insurance status. A new study out this month shows that on average individuals enrolled in Medicaid are 27 percent more likely to be sent to the hospital than individuals with private insurance - decisions that often result in higher costs of care and poor health outcomes.

4 Oct 2011

First Edition: October 4, 2011

Today's news highlights include reports that the Supreme Court kicked off its new term by hearing a key Medicaid case that tests whether providers and patients can go to court to challenge decisions by cash-strapped states to reduce Medicaid payments.

4 Oct 2011

Viewpoints: Mixing Obama and Ryan's plans, cancer rationing and stalling federal aid

What has been revealed is that the systems set up during an industrial era to provide health care, retirement income and support during economic downturns are inadequate for and ill-suited to our post-industrial, globalized economy. ...one can imagine a system in which all workers and nonworkers are required to buy insurance from the government-regulated exchanges being set up in each region or state under the Obama health-care reform plan.

4 Oct 2011

Roundup: Blue Shield of Calif. drops coverage of controversial drug in breast cancer treatment; Perry presses stem cell therapy

Blue Shield of California will no longer pay for the use of the drug Avastin to treat breast cancer, a sign that support for the widely debated and expensive treatment may be eroding among health plans.

4 Oct 2011

Federal officials extend Ariz. Medicaid program while reviewing new plan; Wis. announces eligibility changes to cut budget shortfall

In other state Medicaid news, doctors in Washington state are suing to stop a new rule that limits enrollees' visits to the emergency department and Gov. Cuomo's administration dismisses a proposal for N.Y. to pay for transgender surgery.

4 Oct 2011

New Kaiser Family Foundation report examines Medicaid’s role for people with HIV/AIDS

A new report from the Kaiser Family Foundation examines Medicaid’s current role in providing health coverage for people with HIV and provides an important baseline for monitoring the impact of health reform in expanding coverage to this population beginning in 2014.

3 Oct 2011

Supreme Court hears arguments in Calif. Medicaid case

Justices will hear arguments today regarding California's plan to cut Medicaid payments to doctors, hospitals and other medical providers in an effort to address the state's budget issues. Experts say the case has national implications because its central issue involves states' rights to regulate their Medicaid programs.

3 Oct 2011

Florida AHCA renews Medicaid Management Information System service agreement with HP

HP Enterprise Services today announced the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) has signed a renewal service agreement to manage the state's Medicaid Management Information System.

3 Oct 2011

First Edition: October 3, 2011

Today's headlines include stories previewing how health policy issues will fit into the Supreme Court's new term.

3 Oct 2011

HealthPort is the first HIH to transmit records via CMS' esMD gateway

HealthPort, the industry authority on the HIPAA-compliant exchange of protected health information through release of information services and audit management technology, today announced that the Company is the first Health Information Handler (HIH) to successfully transmit records via the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' (CMS) electronic submission of medical documentation (esMD) gateway for information exchange from healthcare providers, once again leading the way in release of information innovation.

3 Oct 2011

Medicaid News and Research

HHS inspector to step up anti-fraud and abuse efforts in 2012

CLASS implementation oversight listed in HHS work plan

On campaign stump, Obama embraces 'Obamacare'

Hints of progress emerge from 'super committee' deliberations

'Super Committee' cuts in Medicaid spending could have major impact on state budgets

With recession pressures and changes in working patterns, more people are losing insurance

'Bad' hospitals may treat larger proportion of poor patients, study finds

Longer looks: A new life for Bart Stupak; The Komen Foundation and BPA; moving primary care out of the ER

Viewpoints: Jobs and 'Obamacare;' jurisdictional barriers to health law challenges; reforming provider payment

The male circumcision debate continues

Person's insurance status determines nursing home hospitalizations

First Edition: October 4, 2011

Viewpoints: Mixing Obama and Ryan's plans, cancer rationing and stalling federal aid

Roundup: Blue Shield of Calif. drops coverage of controversial drug in breast cancer treatment; Perry presses stem cell therapy

Federal officials extend Ariz. Medicaid program while reviewing new plan; Wis. announces eligibility changes to cut budget shortfall

New Kaiser Family Foundation report examines Medicaid’s role for people with HIV/AIDS

Supreme Court hears arguments in Calif. Medicaid case

Florida AHCA renews Medicaid Management Information System service agreement with HP

First Edition: October 3, 2011

HealthPort is the first HIH to transmit records via CMS' esMD gateway

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (2nd Edition) eBook

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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