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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.

Questcor's pricing issue

After Questcor Pharmaceuticals raised the price of the drug Acthar, its sole product, more than 10-fold in 2007, its shares began a climb from pennies to $14 and change. Acthar

14 Feb 2011

First Edition: February 14, 2011

Today's headlines are focused on President Obama's budget proposal and what it does and does not include.

14 Feb 2011

Northwest Hospital's Subacute Care Unit receives five-star U.S. News ranking

The Subacute Care Unit at Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, Maryland has received a high ranking of five stars overall in U.S. News & World Report's 2011 Best Nursing Homes.

14 Feb 2011

New Republican spending cuts include well-known health programs

House Republican leaders pushed out a new round of proposed spending cuts Friday night as they sought to meet demands by conservatives in the party to trim $100 billion from the current spending levels. Health programs were among the targets.

14 Feb 2011

Opinions: U.S. foreign aid; Polio eradication

"Over the past few weeks, I've had a chance to interview some amazing people," ranging from Bill Gates to scientists and teachers, who are all concerned about impending budget cuts, the New York Times' David Brooks writes in a column. Brooks explains that the "coming budget cuts have nothing to do with merit. They have to do with the inexorable logic of mathematics."

14 Feb 2011

West Virginia families can now pay premiums online through WV CHIP website

Families eligible for the premium part of the West Virginia Children's Health Insurance Program can now pay premiums online through the WV CHIP website at www.chip.wv.gov. The Premium Plan Payment System is free and allows users to make payments securely using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club or electronic check.

14 Feb 2011

CMS chief testifies at Ways and Means Committee, stays cool despite grilling

The tense, heated hearing was the first opportunity for the House to question Berwick since July, when he was recess-appointed to his post as head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Haberkorn and Coughlin, 2/10).

11 Feb 2011

New York Medicaid: Task force considers reform ideas, auditors investigate overbilling

News outlets report on developments regarding the New York state Medicaid program.

11 Feb 2011

Voices from the right offer views on health law repeal, political strategies

News organizations examine how recent court rulings and other matters of constitutional law are transforming the "tea party" movement into a force "attempting to shape national party." Meanwhile, strategies abound in how best to advance the repeal effort, and Mitt Romney tries to differentiate Massachusetts' health law from the federal overhaul.

11 Feb 2011

State roundup: Fla. preps for Medicaid overhaul; Funding cut fears in Mass., Texas; Calif. exchange board's challenges

Both President Barack Obama and House Republicans are moving to rein in federal spending by reducing aid to states and cities, which would deepen their fiscal woes just as economic-stimulus funds from Washington are drying up. ...

11 Feb 2011

Research roundup: Access to care in Mass.; Mental health spending; Gender and medical debt: How much do Americans know about health law?

Health Affairs: Lack Of Access Due To Costs Remains A Problem For Some In Massachusetts Despite The State's Health Reforms - Based on an analysis of state data, the authors found that the percentage of people without insurance fell "to twelve-year lows in Massachusetts, from 11.5 percent (SE 0.91) in 1996 to 3.5 percent (SE 0.33) in 2008.

11 Feb 2011

AHRQ: $25.3 billion spent for kidney disease treatment every year

Overall, an average of 3.7 million adults in the United States were treated for kidney disease each year between 2003 and 2007, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Kidney disease can lead to renal failure and may be caused by diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

11 Feb 2011

First Edition: February 11, 2011

Today's health policy headlines highlight various aspects of the policies and politics involved in the health law mix.

11 Feb 2011

Longer looks: KHN's best health policy picks from thought-provoking publications

When U.S. District Court judge Roger Vinson struck down President Obama's health care program as unconstitutional, the White House declared the decision an "outlier." It was anything but that. The ruling on January 31 was in harmony with limits the Supreme Court has imposed on the use of the Constitution's commerce clause to justify far-reaching legislation by Congress.

11 Feb 2011

GOP Reps. grill CMS Chief Berwick about health reform law, earlier remarks on British system

Republicans on the US House Committee on Ways and Means this morning pounded Donald Berwick, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on the effects of the new health care law on seniors, and Berwick's past statements in praise of the publicly-funded British health care system.

11 Feb 2011

Viewpoints: Sebelius on empowering states; NY Times on insurance mandate; WSJ on 'next repeal target'

As governor of Kansas, I saw up close the urgent need for health-care reform. I heard it when factory owners told me their biggest concern was not manufacturing costs but rising insurance premiums, and when families said they felt like hostages to insurance companies that could deny or cancel coverage with little accountability.

11 Feb 2011

State roundup: Arizona Medicaid waiver; Mass. BCBS plans charge more for high-cost hospitals; Texas Dems' abortion fight

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's proposal to cut 280,000 people from the state's Medicaid rolls is being reviewed by U.S. officials who don't know whether they have the power to approve the action, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said.

10 Feb 2011

Analyst offers prediction about Medicare advantage plans

Initial 2012 reimbursement rates for Medicare Advantage plans should be roughly flat, which tops the consensus expectation of a 2 percent drop, according to Citi analyst Carl McDonald. McDonald said Tuesday in a research note the rates will be hurt by cuts from the health care overhaul, but he also thinks they will benefit from an adjustment to prior estimates.

10 Feb 2011

First Edition: February 10, 2011

Today's headlines include news about how the legal skirmishes surrounding the health overhaul are heating up.

10 Feb 2011

Edward Hospital joins Premier healthcare alliance and saves $1,053,000

Edward Hospital & Health Services has saved more than $1 million by joining the Premier healthcare alliance. The full-service, regional healthcare provider based in Naperville, Ill., is also participating in programs to provide high-quality, cost-effective care.

10 Feb 2011