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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.

CMS finds states that lack authority to review health insurance rate hikes

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a report identifying ten states that currently lack sufficient authority to review health insurance rate hikes as required under the Affordable Care Act.

11 Jul 2011

As officials prepare for debt talks Sunday, Obama says they can meet the challenge

President Barack Obama said Saturday that despite broad differences, he and Republicans agree on "some of the big things," including that the end goal of the deficit talks is to solve the country's fiscal woes. "We agree that after a decade of racking up deficits and debt, we finally need to get our fiscal house in order. We agree that to do that, both sides are going to have to step outside their comfort zones and make some political sacrifices," Mr. Obama said in his weekly radio address to the nation.

11 Jul 2011

New initiatives to improve quality of care and lower costs for Medicaid

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today announced three new initiatives to help states improve the quality and lower the cost of care for the approximately nine million Americans who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid.

11 Jul 2011

As Boehner rejects major debt deal, Dems raise Medicare questions

News outlets covered the fallout of House Speaker John Boehner's Saturday announcement. On Sunday talk shows, Democrats insisted the President is "still committed" to solving the deficit problem.

11 Jul 2011

Co-pay on home health care would limit patient access to clinically beneficial and cost-effective care

America's home health care community is calling attention to a newly released analysis by Avalere Health, LLC that underscores the significant impact cost sharing for Medicare home health services could have on low-income and clinically-disadvantaged seniors.

8 Jul 2011

Generics as a way to lower health care costs

As the nation seeks to expand health care coverage to more citizens without adding burdensome costs, researchers from Harvard University, Brigham and Women's Hospital and CVS Caremark reported that preventative health care may be significantly less costly than previously thought, due to expanded use of cost-effective generic medications for the treatment and prevention of chronic disease.

8 Jul 2011

Research roundup: Rural hospitals have poorer quality; Cost-effective migraine relief; Doctors still take Medicare

Quality Of Care And Patient Outcomes In Critical Access Rural Hospitals -- This study looks at the quality of care provided by patterns of care at "critical access hospitals," a federal designation for hospitals that serve rural populations and thus have been granted special incentives under Medicare.

8 Jul 2011

Medicaid pricing, volume varies across states

A new study in the July issue of Health Affairs finds significant regional differences in program spending. Researchers suggest understanding these differences could lead to improved quality and efficiency of care.

8 Jul 2011

Critical principles to preserve patient access and reduce health care spending

"A debt ceiling agreement must be reached in time to avert an unprecedented suspension of funding for the millions of patients who rely on Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs," Virginia Hood, MBBS, MPH, FACP, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP) told the president, vice president and Congressional leaders today.

8 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Debt ceiling & entitlements; Pharmaceutical dilemmas; Bishops 'misunderstand' death with dignity

Democrats have already proposed a 3-1 formula that would allow for $3 in spending cuts for every $1 in new revenue. So we have met our Republican colleagues more than half-way in this painful process. We are even willing to discuss significant savings in Medicare and Medicaid — as long as essential benefits for seniors and the most vulnerable are preserved (Rep. William Lacy Clay, 7/7).

8 Jul 2011

Roundup: Ineffective malpractice suits; Medicare hospital funding error; D.C. abortion report

A study published today in the journal Health Affairs looked at the outcomes of 3,695 malpractice claims filed in Massachusetts courts against hospitals, doctors, and other medical providers between 2006 and 2010.

8 Jul 2011

Negotiators set sights on 'grand debt deal'

At stake are trillions of dollars in government spending and taxes. One of the proposals in play is an increase in payments by upper-income seniors for Medicare. Sweeping reductions in domestic spending are also on the table. After a Thursday meeting, President Barack Obama and congressional leaders agreed to reconvene Sunday.

8 Jul 2011

Democrats fear political pain from entitlement cuts

Though some Democrats view the Obama's strategy to reach a budget deal as a positive development, others are making pleas to take Medicare and Social Security cuts off of the bargaining table — fearing that changes to these programs would make them vulnerable in the upcoming election cycle.

8 Jul 2011

Advocacy group messages, concerns emerge as deficit talks continue

The drug industry and teaching hospitals are among the health industry sectors that are bracing for hits from the budget deal. Meanwhile, other health care providers are watching and waiting -- trying to figure out what might become of their interests as the negotiations go forward. And Democrats and liberal advocates, the staunchest supporters of the health law, fear President Barack Obama could give up too much in the ultimate agreement.

8 Jul 2011

Shire files lawsuit against Watson over generic Vyvanse

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval to market lisdexamfetamine dimesylate capsules. Watson's lisdexamfetamine dimesylate capsules are a generic version of Shire LLC's Vyvanse®.

8 Jul 2011

Budget talks show movement; Changes to Medicare, Medicaid on the table

Touching these safety net programs would raise the ire of some Democrats, but the concept is being advanced by President Barack Obama as a trade-off for new tax revenues.

8 Jul 2011

Study finds that Medicaid coverage makes a 'big difference'

The study, considered the first of its kind, was conducted by researchers from MIT, Harvard and the state of Oregon and examined the impact of randomly assigning Medicaid insurance to poor Oregonians as part of the state's expansion of health coverage.

8 Jul 2011

Study suggests racial disparity in elder care options in the U.S. nursing homes

In the last decade, minorities have poured into nursing homes at a time when whites have left in even greater numbers, according to a new Brown University study that suggests a racial disparity in elder care options in the United States.

8 Jul 2011

Longer looks: Shortage of HIV doctors; Oregon program builds on British model

Of the 3,155 U.S.-based members of the HIV Medicine Assn., 45% are older than 50, according to a March 17 Institute of Medicine report on HIV screening and access to care.

8 Jul 2011

U.S. District Court rules in favor of Watson over Mucinex patent suit

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today confirmed that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida's February 2011 decision that Watson's generic versions of Mucinex(R), Mucinex(R) D, and Mucinex(R) DM Extended-Release products do not infringe U.S. Patent No. 6,372,252.

8 Jul 2011