Medicaid News and Research

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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.

Florida's Medicaid experiment continues to draw attention

News outlets report on the state's effort to shift care for Medicaid enrollees to managed care and how this move will impact specific populations such as pregnant women.

29 Apr 2011

C-section deliveries have increased by 72%, episiotomy and forceps use have declined

Use of episiotomy, a surgical incision to widen the vaginal area during childbirth, fell by 60 percent between 1997 and 2008, according to the latest News and Numbers by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

29 Apr 2011

Longer looks: Autism researcher's legacy; methadone for prisoners

Andrew Wakefield has become one of the most reviled doctors of his generation, blamed directly and indirectly, depending on the accuser, for irresponsibly starting a panic with tragic repercussions: vaccination rates so low that childhood diseases once all but eradicated here —whooping cough and measles, among them — have re-emerged, endangering young lives. And yet here he was in Texas, post-career-apocalypse, calmly discussing his work, and a crowd of around 250 people showed up to listen.

29 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: Taking the deficit seriously; despite low numbers, high-risk pools are succeeding

The deficit debate, now fully engaged, is also an evaluation of political seriousness. House Republican leaders have passed the test, supporting a politically risky budget that changes Medicare into a premium-support program and eventually returns federal spending to sustainable levels.

28 Apr 2011

AARP warns against Medicaid block grants

In a five-page policy paper issued Wednesday, the seniors lobby detailed how the proposal to transform the state-federal health care program for the poor into a block grant would, among other things, have an especially negative impact on low-income elderly people and people who depend on long-term care services.

28 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 28, 2011

Today's headlines feature reports about the varying public responses to plans for the budget and Medicare as well as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's intent to bring the House-passed Ryan budget up for a vote.

28 Apr 2011

Invacare first quarter earnings per share increases 156% to $0.23

Invacare Corporation today announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2011.

28 Apr 2011

Aetna first quarter operating earnings is $560.2 million for 2011

Aetna today announced first-quarter 2011 operating earnings of $560.2 million, or $1.43 per share, a per share increase of 46 percent over 2010.

28 Apr 2011

Aetna enters agreement to procure Prodigy Health Group

Aetna today announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Prodigy Health Group, the nation's largest independent third party administrator of self-funded health care plans.

28 Apr 2011

Medicaid managed care under the microscope

News outlets explore the challenges states face as they increasingly try to move recipients into managed care plans in order to control costs and brace for upcoming expansions.

28 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: Medicare options and politics; high costs of care; health disparities

The Democratic Party is urging Americans to choose Medicare as we've always known it rather than a new plan by Rep. Paul Ryan that would enroll seniors in private health insurance beginning in 2022.

28 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 27, 2011

In today's headlines, political push-back continues regarding the Paul Ryan budget plan and the Supreme Court seems skeptical that prescription drug data laws don't violate free speech.

27 Apr 2011

Watson reports net revenue of $876.5 million for first quarter 2011

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today reported net revenue of $876.5 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011, compared to $856.5 million in the first quarter 2010.

27 Apr 2011

Dems eye Ryan Medicare plan as political opportunity

With Obama administration officials part of the campaign against the Ryan plan, other opponents also are stepping forward and launching a new wave of television ads in Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan's very own congressional district. Meanwhile, The Washington Post analyzes some of the poll numbers behind where voters may stand on Medicare cuts.

27 Apr 2011

State roundup: Single-payer bill advances in Vt. Legislature

A unit of American International Group, the New York-based insurance giant, agreed to pay restitution and a fine totaling $760,000 for selling faulty health insurance products in Massachusetts, under a settlement reached with state Attorney General Martha Coakley.

27 Apr 2011

Columbia requests FDA Priority Review for PROCHIEVE progesterone gel NDA

Columbia Laboratories, Inc., and Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that Columbia has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for PROCHIEVE® (progesterone gel) for the reduction of risk of preterm birth in women with short uterine cervical length in the mid-trimester of pregnancy.

27 Apr 2011

Humana declares quarterly cash dividend, anticipates first quarter diluted EPS of $1.86

Humana Inc. announced today that it has realigned its business segments to more closely reflect the company's evolving business model. Effective immediately, the company will be managing and reporting its operating results using the following segments: Retail, Employer Group, and Health and Well-Being Services.

26 Apr 2011