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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.

Roundup: Calif. legislator's health bill comes under scrutiny; D.C. facing doctor shortage

A few hours earlier, using an obscure parliamentary procedure, the senator had carved the contents out of a bill about local gas taxes and "amended" it into a proposal to warn women about breast cancer risks. It was now speeding through the statehouse so fast, and with so little scrutiny, that Sen. Joe Simitian would later be on the defensive about one significant effect: a possible multimillion-dollar windfall for a medical business in his district.

29 Sep 2011

Capsules: N.C. insurer invests $15M in docs' health IT; HHS offers new push for coordinated care

Now on Capsules, Christian Torres writes about a new federal coordinated care initiative: If the Department of Health and Human Services has its way, hundreds of physician practices will follow the money and take up a coordinated model of health care.

29 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: Lots of advice for super committee on Medicare, Medicaid

Obama partisans, you must consider at least two, possibly mixed results - a politically risky legal battle on the individual mandate in the middle of a presidential campaign, and added insurance that Obama administration lawyers will see the case through its final appeal.

28 Sep 2011

Perry, Romney continue in GOP primary spotlight

News outlets report on the ongoing sparring between the two candidates and on Perry's health policy record as Texas governor. Meanwhile, Michele Bachmann points to her rivals' positions on issues including health care and says Republicans should not settle for a moderate candidate. Also, NPR flashes back to GOP candidate Herman Cain's 1994 debate performance. And, on the other side of the political spectrum, The Associated Press reports that Democrats are shifting their campaign message away from the health law and toward Medicare.

28 Sep 2011

With significant health care dollars at stake, interest groups focus on 'super committee'

Health care groups have started flooding the super committee with appeals to protect their sliver of federal health care programs. Because the panel's mandate is to find at least $1.2 trillion in debt-reduction over the next decade, Medicare and Medicaid are prime targets. Together, those two government insurance programs account for nearly one-quarter of all federal spending.

28 Sep 2011

Wis. unveils Medicaid savings website; some low-income Minn. residents must change health plans

Also in Medicaid news, Washington state begins new program that limits emergency department visits for Medicaid enrolless. Oregon also reports gains in efforts to get children coverage.

28 Sep 2011

Roundup: Conn.'s new insurance commissioner getting noticed; Miami-Dade County fires consulting firm over health care issue

Checking his watch, Thomas B. Leonardi worked quickly through his dense defense of this nation's state-by-state approach to insurance regulation. This small New England state generates more insurance business than all but a half-dozen nations. He sided with consumer advocates in March at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, helping to delay a federal regulation designed to protect fees for health insurance brokers. Advocates said the regulation would have driven up the costs of insurance to consumers.

28 Sep 2011

Healthcare becoming an overdrive model feel half of the primary physicians

In a new poll of primary care physicians, nearly half of them said their patients received too much medical care and more than a quarter said they were practicing more aggressively than they'd like to. This could mean ordering more tests, prescribing more drugs or diagnosing people with diseases, although they would never have experienced any symptoms. On the other hand, just six percent of doctors believed their patients were getting too little care.

27 Sep 2011

Research roundup: Widows and medical spending; disparities in heart care, hospital deaths

The authors write: "We find that out-of-pocket medical spending is approximately 29 percent higher when an individual becomes widowed, a large portion of which is spending on nursing homes. Our results suggest a substantial role of living arrangements in out-of-pocket medical spending; however, our estimates combined with differences in rates of widowhood across gender suggest that marital status can explain only one third of the gender difference in total out-of-pocket medical spending, leaving a large portion unexplained.

27 Sep 2011

GAO report: More oversight needed on program that gives safety net providers discounts on outpatient drugs

Under this program, known as the 340 B program, drugmakers provide discounts to community health centers and other health care providers that treat vulnerable populations in exchange for having their drugs covered by Medicaid.

27 Sep 2011

Viewpoints: LA Times wants solutions from GOP candidates; WSJ finds worrisome census numbers

We've now seen three full-dress debates among the Republican politicians who want to be the next president of the United States, and here's what we've learned: They all believe taxes are too high, even though federal taxes are lower as a percentage of the U.S. economy than any time in the last 60 years. They all believe onerous environmental regulations are preventing economic recovery, though few economists would agree.

27 Sep 2011

Roundup: Patient dies after medical error during Calif. nurses strike; grocery workers ratify contract that had partially hinged on health care

Veteran nurses locked out of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland said Sunday that the death of a patient due to a medical error by a replacement worker wouldn't have happened if they had been allowed to do their jobs. The hospital's management countered that it was a freak accident that could have happened at any time -- with or without the replacement nurses. At the center of the dispute is a cancer patient, a woman who has not been identified but whose tragic death on Saturday has inflamed an already tense labor dispute.

27 Sep 2011

Primatene inhalers to be phased out this December: FDA

According to the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), the Armstrong Pharmaceutical's Primatene mist inhaler will be discontinued on Dec. 31, and prescription inhalers are the only alternative to the over-the-counter asthma drug.

26 Sep 2011

Seniors deeply concerned about Medicare, Medicaid future as 'super committee' decisions loom

Seniors, gathered in downtown Los Angeles this week for the annual conference of the AARP, expressed fear and anxiety about aging when Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are under attack both in Washington and on the campaign trail. More than 20,000 seniors are attending ... Seniors are increasingly relying on Social Security and Medicare to finance their retirement and healthcare, AARP chief executive officer A. Barry Rand told a packed house.

26 Sep 2011

Roundup: Texas House Dems ask CMS to reject Medicaid waiver request; Jobs lost as Ariz. mental health Medicaid cuts kick in

The nine House Democrats from Texas want the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reject their state's request that Medicaid beneficiaries get their prescription drugs through managed care plans.

23 Sep 2011

'Super Committee' hears pleas to protect health program enrollees and providers

Some say the recession's toll could be even greater if Medicaid funding for mental health services hits the deficit panel's chopping block. Meanwhile, provider groups continue to make their cases to the committee.

23 Sep 2011

Momenta, Sandoz file patent suit against Amphastar and Watson over Enoxaparin Sodium Injection

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sandoz Inc. have filed suit against Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Watson on September 21, 2011 in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

23 Sep 2011

Medicaid News and Research

Roundup: Calif. legislator's health bill comes under scrutiny; D.C. facing doctor shortage

Capsules: N.C. insurer invests $15M in docs' health IT; HHS offers new push for coordinated care

Viewpoints: Lots of advice for super committee on Medicare, Medicaid

Perry, Romney continue in GOP primary spotlight

With significant health care dollars at stake, interest groups focus on 'super committee'

Wis. unveils Medicaid savings website; some low-income Minn. residents must change health plans

Roundup: Conn.'s new insurance commissioner getting noticed; Miami-Dade County fires consulting firm over health care issue

Healthcare becoming an overdrive model feel half of the primary physicians

Research roundup: Widows and medical spending; disparities in heart care, hospital deaths

GAO report: More oversight needed on program that gives safety net providers discounts on outpatient drugs

Viewpoints: LA Times wants solutions from GOP candidates; WSJ finds worrisome census numbers

Roundup: Patient dies after medical error during Calif. nurses strike; grocery workers ratify contract that had partially hinged on health care

Primatene inhalers to be phased out this December: FDA

Seniors deeply concerned about Medicare, Medicaid future as 'super committee' decisions loom

Roundup: Texas House Dems ask CMS to reject Medicaid waiver request; Jobs lost as Ariz. mental health Medicaid cuts kick in

'Super Committee' hears pleas to protect health program enrollees and providers

Momenta, Sandoz file patent suit against Amphastar and Watson over Enoxaparin Sodium Injection

Young adults take advantage of health law, make gains in health coverage

Arizona's mental health budget cuts concern experts

BlueCross report examines national health care reform's impact on Tennessee

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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