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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.

How would Medicaid block grants work?

One of the most controversial ideas in Washington right now is to turn Medicaid into a block grant program. ... Instead of an entitlement with open-ended funding, Medicaid would be converted into a grant program with set funding levels.

18 Apr 2011

State Roundup: Mass. considers new health payment system

The California Public Employees' Retirement System is negotiating a lucrative pharmacy benefits management contract with Caremark Rx Inc., a company being sued for defrauding the pension fund of tens of millions of dollars (Lifsher, 4/16).

18 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 18, 2011

Today's headlines include a report about President Barack Obama's plan to rally support for his deficit reduction plan and to block GOP changes to Medicare and other social programs.

18 Apr 2011

Flagship introduces end-to-end solutions for Medicare's reporting, recovery requirements

Flagship Services Group, Inc., a company providing expertise in Medicare compliance for insurance carriers, self-insured entities, attorneys, and state and local government agencies, today announced its unique end-to-end solutions for the compliance challenges the industry faces relating to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' reporting and Medicare Secondary Payer recovery requirements.

18 Apr 2011

House passes GOP 2012 budget, calls for big changes to Medicare, Medicaid

News outlets covered today's presidential and Republican weekly addresses, which reflected a week of tough deficit talk and a vote in the House on the 2012 budget.

18 Apr 2011

CMS offers cash to aid states in care coordination for 'dual eligibles'

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services announced four initiatives Thursday that are designed to assist cash-strapped states with funding and flexibility issues.

16 Apr 2011

Congress approves current-year spending plan, votes on defunding health law as part of agreement

Separate measures to defund the health law and Planned Parenthood, which were voted on as part of the compromise that enabled the broader spending bill to move to a vote in both chambers, were approved in the House but defeated in the Senate.

16 Apr 2011

House to vote today on GOP blueprint to trim $6 billion in spending

The fiscal framework relies on cuts to Medicaid as well as a revamp of the Medicare program. Meanwhile, reaction continues regarding the budget outline unveiled earlier in the week by President Obama.

16 Apr 2011

Roundup: Medicaid bill headed for Florida Senate floor; Texas nursing home funding vulnerable in state budget

The Texas Legislature is faced with a budget challenge that has pitted the Republican majority's desire to cut government spending against a vulnerable target: nursing homes.

16 Apr 2011

First Edition: April 15, 2011

Today's headlines include reports about yesterday's passage of the short-term spending compromise as well as debate and detail regarding health care costs, entitlement reform and other long-term budget concerns.

15 Apr 2011

Health program spending at crux of partisan budget debate

As details emerged regarding the Obama deficit plan, news outlets explored the very different approaches favored by the White House versus the GOP to control Medicare and Medicaid spending.

15 Apr 2011

Obama's deficit plan earns raves, pans from editorial boards; more views on abortion and planned parenthood

I've proposed a balanced approach that looks at the entire budget for savings. The third step is to reduce the growth in health care spending in order to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid for future generations. We will get rid of wasteful subsidies and fraud that cost Medicare billions of dollars each year. We'll cut spending on prescription drugs by helping to get generic brands of medicine to market faster.

15 Apr 2011

Boehner offers 'unswerving support' for Ryan's Medicare plan

Los Angeles Times: Boehner On Board With Ryan's Medicare Plan.

15 Apr 2011

Obama plan likely to include Medicare, Medicaid changes; take steps to curb long-term spending

In a speech today, President Barack Obama is scheduled to outline his plans to reduce the deficit. They will likely include controversial proposals to trim Medicare and Medicaid spending while also raising taxes.

15 Apr 2011

Obama administration unveils new initiative to reduce medical errors

The new, $1 billion patient-safety program comes on the heels of a recent study that found one in three Americans admitted to hospitals will experience some type of medical error or accident.

15 Apr 2011

Obama offers framework to cut federal budget deficit

In his plan, which the administration says would cut federal budget deficits by $4 trillion over 12 years, President Barack Obama rejected GOP calls to make fundamental changes to Medicare and Medicaid and scale back the reach of the new health law.

15 Apr 2011

House GOP budget plan under the microscope

More details of the House GOP budget plan are taking shape, including the blueprint's inclusion of Democratic Medicare cuts that were subject to Republican criticism during the election season. Other parts of the health law also would stay intact. Meanwhile, the full House is scheduled to vote on the 2012 budget measure this week.

15 Apr 2011

Barbour takes on health care issues

In a speech to the Congressional Health Care Caucus, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) discussed a range of issues related to health reform, including the role of consumers in addressing health care costs, state flexibility and, of course, "RomneyCare."

15 Apr 2011

Longer looks: Cities coping with aging populations; new apps for health

Robert Lustig is a specialist on pediatric hormone disorders and the leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine. … The viral success of his lecture, though, has little to do with Lustig's impressive credentials and far more with the persuasive case he makes that sugar is a "toxin" or a "poison," terms he uses together 13 times through the course of the lecture, in addition to the five references to sugar as merely "evil."

15 Apr 2011

State roundup: Pa. may put half of adultBasic members on Medicaid

Regulators in charge of the Massachusetts health insurance law are expected to approve new contracts today that will save the state $80 million, in part by offering a narrower choice of hospitals, physicians, and specialists to thousands of patients insured through the state-subsidized Commonwealth Care program.

15 Apr 2011