Medicaid News and Research

RSS

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.

First Edition: August 24, 2011

In today's headlines, Medicare tries bundled payments and HHS signals that it may give states a second chance to avoid a federally-run health insurance exchange.

24 Aug 2011

Ark. details plans for Medicaid payment reforms

Arkansas officials have identified nine areas that they want to focus on as they look at changing the way Medicaid pays for services, including neonatal care and developmental disabilities, Gov. Mike Beebe told federal health officials in a letter released Monday.

24 Aug 2011

Only 20.6% of Medicaid-covered Ohio youths complete full six month antidepressant treatment

About half of Medicaid-covered children and adolescents in Ohio who are in treatment for depression complete their first three months of prescribed antidepressants, and only one-fifth complete the recommended minimum six-month course of drugs to treat depression, new research suggests.

24 Aug 2011

State roundup: Budgets cause layoffs in Wash., end of Calif. adult day care

For the first time anyone can recall, state government employment has shrunk for two years in a row due to budget cuts, shedding nearly 4,700 full-time jobs since 2009.

24 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: Rational, not rationing, Medicare cuts; Paul Ryan's future; hospitals' clout

Congress needs to make sure that lobbying - and every dollar of campaign contributions to the super committee's members - is fully and immediately disclosed. ... The American Hospital Association has vowed a "full-court press" on the committee, as have defense industries and others.

24 Aug 2011

Faster angioplasty for most heart attack victims: Study

According to a new study more than 90% of patients who have a heart attack and need an emergency treatment like angioplasty now have it within the recommended 90 minutes after they get to the hospital.

23 Aug 2011

HealthAmerica expands social media platform through relationship with CaféWell

HealthAmerica announced today the expansion of its social networking community devoted solely to the health and well-being of its members through a relationship with CaféWell.

23 Aug 2011

Fla., CMS discuss Medicaid managed care options; Calif. may shrink healthy families enrollment

A Florida proposal to shift nearly all of its 3 million Medicaid patients into managed care is emerging as a national test case for how lenient CMS will be as cash-strapped states look for savings in their most expensive health program. CMS and Florida officials met this week to address concerns about a five-county managed care pilot program that Florida is seeking to expand statewide.

23 Aug 2011

Seton Healthcare Family receives $18,000 check from CMS for Stage 1 meaningful use

eClinicalWorks, a market leader in ambulatory clinical systems, today announced that providers associated with Austin, Texas, Seton Healthcare Family have each received an $18,000 check from the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) after successfully attesting for meaningful use, the maximum amount allowed for 2011.

23 Aug 2011

Ventas receives court ruling to collect $102 million from judgment against HCP

Ventas, Inc. said today that the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky has ruled that Ventas may immediately collect the $102 million compensatory damages judgment against HCP, Inc. that it was awarded by a federal jury in 2009.

23 Aug 2011

IFMC changes company name to Telligen

IFMC has changed its name to Telligen, effective today.

23 Aug 2011

Almost all heart attack patients receive angioplasty within 90 minutes of being admitted

Almost all heart attack patients who need the emergency artery-opening procedure known as angioplasty are receiving it within 90 minutes of being admitted to the hospital, a marked improvement from five years ago when most patients waited longer for the life-saving procedure, according to a report by Yale School of Medicine researchers and their colleagues.

23 Aug 2011

NHIC receives CMS contract to continue Durable Medical Equipment services

HP Enterprise Services today announced that NHIC Corp., a subsidiary of HP, has been awarded a $72.3 million, five-year contract renewal by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to continue servicing Durable Medical Equipment (DME) suppliers in 11 northeastern U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

23 Aug 2011

Medicare expands competitive bidding program

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services says this approach, which is geared toward durable medical equipment, will save billions of dollars and could become a model for other efforts to cut costs.

23 Aug 2011

AstraZeneca announces availability of BRILINTA tablets in the U.S. pharmacies

AstraZeneca today announced that BRILINTA tablets, a new oral antiplatelet therapy, is now available in pharmacies in the United States.

23 Aug 2011

Viewpoints: NY Times deconstructs health rulings; Issa on law & deficit; veterans' care needs boost

At a time when the nation's credit has been downgraded for the first time and our country is struggling to finance and reform existing entitlement programs, Obamacare's creation of new entitlements increases dependency on government and pushes our country deeper into a fiscal crisis of Greek proportion. As Congress and the president seek bipartisan ground to address the national debt, we must remember that the first step out of a hole is to stop digging.

23 Aug 2011

HHS approves new round of waivers

The Obama administration granted another 106 waivers last month from part of the health care reform law - the first round of three-year waivers the Health and Human Services Department has approved. The new approvals bring the total number of waivers to 1,472, according to HHS. Those figures cover waivers granted through the end of July.

22 Aug 2011

Advocates worry over 'super committee's' consideration of Medicaid

Meanwhile, the health law's individual mandate could fall prey to deficit reduction efforts. And, in the background, congressional appropriators face especially unique challenges this year in trying to get their work done.

22 Aug 2011

Consumer groups, economists and members of Congress oppose Medicare's bidding system

As Medicare expands a controversial "competitive" bidding program for home medical equipment and services, economists, consumer groups, and members of Congress have gone on record to oppose that program citing reduced patient access to care, flaws in the program design, and impact on local jobs.

20 Aug 2011

Deficit panel has 'extraordinary power' but will face 'bumpy' start

The LA Times reports on some of the challenges ahead for the "super committee" and explores the panel's chances for success. Meanwhile, one GOP member of this select group vows that there will be no cuts to entitlement benefits.

20 Aug 2011