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: July 5, 2011

In today's headlines, reports about how Medicare, Medicaid and the health care industry might fare in the ongoing budget negotiations.

5 Jul 2011

Minn. government shuts down; new Calif., Iowa and Ill. budgets take effect

Talks imploded Thursday between DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders in the final hours before a midnight deadline, and Minnesota began a historic government shutdown. ... Even before the shutdown, Minnesotans got an early peek at the inconvenience from the mothballing of many state services.

2 Jul 2011

States must make do without stimulus dollars for Medicaid; judge freezes Ariz. cuts

As healthcare costs for the poor soar across the United States, perhaps no state will feel the loss of federal stimulus money more than Florida. America's fourth-most-populous state, Florida is second only to Texas in the percentage of residents without health insurance and its struggles are emblematic of problems afflicting many states.

2 Jul 2011

Research roundup: Hospital care in U.S. territories lags; health spending unevenly distributed

This study examines the quality of hospital care in the U.S. territories -- Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Island, and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- and compares it to care in the states.

2 Jul 2011

Medicare to cover 2 expensive cancer drugs

Medicare confirmed on Thursday that it would continue to pay for two expensive cancer drugs that had been at the center of debate — Avastin from Genentech for breast cancer and Provenge from Dendreon for prostate cancer.

2 Jul 2011

Roundup: Mass. doctors eye care management funds; Fla. groups fear Scott will block federal grants

It's clear from the data that hospitals and doctors can do a lot better at coordinating care for their patients. On the final day of hearings on controlling health care costs today, state officials estimated that at least $2 billion was spent in Massachusetts in 2009 on potentially avoidable emergency room visits, hospitalizations and readmissions.

2 Jul 2011

First Edition: July 1, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations, including reports about sleep deprived medical residents, decisions by Medicare officials on covering two expensive drugs and states struggling with budget cuts.

1 Jul 2011

Press conference: Obama links Medicare, Medicaid cuts to new revenue

And on Capitol Hill, some Senate Democrats - mulling whether to take President Obama's challenge to stay in Washington and work on the debt ceiling negotiations - could offer a fiscal blueprint of their own.

1 Jul 2011

IOM report highlights need for changes in pain management

Defining pain as "a major public health problem," the Institute of Medicine offered recommendations to make systemic and cultural changes in how pain could either be prevented or managed better.

1 Jul 2011

Health law's cost and coverage issues draw attention

In an exclusive report, the Associated Press notes an unintended consequence of that health law — some older adults could pay sharply different amounts for private health insurance. Meanwhile, CQ HealthBeat reports on some recent developments in the policy debate over the health law's maintenance-of-effort provisions.

1 Jul 2011

Longer looks: A Medicare compromise; improving mental health policies

Sen. Joe Lieberman has found an ally for the middle-of-the-road Medicare reform proposal he laid out a few weeks ago. On Tuesday, the independent Senator from Connecticut and conservative Republican Tom Coburn unveiled a tweaked version of Lieberman's plan.

1 Jul 2011

Avastin for breast cancer still covered by Medicare despite FDA indecision

The Medicare will continue to cover Avastin for breast cancer treatment even if U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Peggy Hamburg decides to withdraw Avastin for such use, according to Don McLeod, a spokesman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. McLeod said, in his statement, “The FDA decision, when it comes, does not affect CMS.”

1 Jul 2011

Minnesota nears government shutdown

Minnesota would face a massive government shutdown under a court ruling released Wednesday, with all but critical services stopping by Friday.

1 Jul 2011

State roundup: Calif. braces for budget cuts; Mass. weighs premium freeze

Poor people will receive less medical care and welfare, disabled people will see fewer services, state parks will close and public university students will pay more in California under the budget that takes effect Friday. But also Friday, the state sales tax will decrease from 8.25 percent to 7.25 percent and vehicle licensing fees will drop by almost half. Combined with the taxes that expired in January, an average California family will pocket about $1,000 this year.

1 Jul 2011

Viewpoints: Abortion law debates; Medicare cost examinations; state reform building blocks

The Susan B. Anthony List's Pro-Life Leadership Pledge has garnered praise from a number of Republican presidential candidates, including Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Tim Pawlenty, each of whom has signed the pledge. It has also faced some misinformed criticism, however, not only from the media but from other presidential candidates who refuse to sign on to the pledge's four basic principles.

30 Jun 2011

100 million Americans suffer pain - many in silence

According to a report released by the Institute of Medicine Wednesday, nearly a third of Americans experience long-lasting pain and too often feel stigma rather than relief from a health care system poorly prepared to treat them. Chronic pain is costing the nation at least $558 billion a year in medical bills, sick days and lost productivity, the report found. That's more than the cost of heart disease, the top killer.

30 Jun 2011

White House backs away from 'secret shopper' survey of doctors

The Obama administration said Tuesday that it had shelved plans for a survey in which "mystery shoppers" posing as patients would call doctors' offices to see how difficult it was to get appointments.

30 Jun 2011

N.C. Gov. Vetoes abortion bill; 2 Kansas doctors file suit against Kansas law; R.I. exchange bill caught in dispute

Gov. Bev Perdue vetoed a bill Monday that would require women seeking abortions to wait 24 hours after state-prescribed counseling, leaving the bill's House supporters looking for override votes. The bill would have made significant changes in state abortion policy, changes supporters said would give pregnant women important information about fetal development and abortion alternatives.

30 Jun 2011

Dems reject plan to cut Medicare costs, raise eligibility age

As negotiations over raising the nation's debt ceiling continue, two senators — Tom Coburn, R-Okla., and Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn. — advanced a new plan to produce the amount of savings from the Medicare program needed to meet the debt reduction target. The approach, though, which includes raising the eligibility age to 67, was swiftly rejected by top Democrats.

30 Jun 2011

HHS: Half million seniors experiencing lower drug costs

As a result of health law changes to provide seniors with "doughnut hole" relief, Medicare recipients saved a combined $260 million on medicines as of the end of last month.

30 Jun 2011