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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.

Weekend Update: Use of high deductible insurance plans rises; Rubio assails health law; Medicaid vs. schools

The New York Times takes a look at the use of high deductible health insurance plans linked to tax exempt savings accounts and points out that although the plans have been growing in use, the new federal health law may make them "less attractive, if new rules, yet to be announced, require lower deductibles and impose other restrictions."

30 Aug 2010

Today's Opinions: Medicare illusions, small biz perks, abortion regs and more

Americans told lawmakers in Washington that they wanted reforms that would lower costs; Democrats in Congress increased them. They said they wanted Medicare protected; Democrat leaders used it as a piggy bank, cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicare to help pay for this massive new government expansion of health care (Sen. Mitch McConnell, 8/26).

27 Aug 2010

Montana Gov. seeks cheaper drugs for residents; Legal immigrants may lose health insurace in Mass.

The Associated Press: "Gov. Brian Schweitzer, cooking up a new plan to get cheaper prescription drugs for state residents, said he wants to let every Montanan get discounted medicine through Medicaid." It's his most recent idea about how "to either import cheaper name-brand prescriptions or to otherwise bypass what he sees as exorbitant prices charged by 'drug cartels.'"

27 Aug 2010

Moody's reports negative outlook for not-for-profit hospitals

News outlets report on hospital issues, including a Moody's report suggesting a negative outlook for not-for-profit hospitals.

27 Aug 2010

Obama administration touts federal efforts to combat health care fraud

The Los Angeles Times: Obama administration officials at a meeting in Los Angeles Thursday touted their efforts to crack down on health care fraud, "saying quickly expanding criminal enterprises are costing taxpayers billions of dollars each year. ... Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said their agencies were jointly targeting fraud in the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs.

27 Aug 2010

Research Roundups: Underinsured children; Hospital progress on electronic records; Federal officlals' work on comparative effectiveness

Underinsurance Among Children In The United States - This study examines the scope of underinsurance, or health insurance that fails to sufficiently meet the needs, of children living in the U.S. Based on information obtained from the 2007 National Survey of Children's Health, the authors of the study report, "19.3% — or 14.1 million — of all U.S. children (and 22.7% of children with continuous insurance coverage) were underinsured in 2007, exceeding the number of children without any insurance at all during the year (3.4 million) and the number who had insurance during only part of the year (7.6 million)."

27 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 27, 2010

In the headlines today, news about U.S. plans to step up efforts to crack down on health care fraud.

27 Aug 2010

Few US hospitals meet federal guidelines for 'meaningful use' in adoption of EHRs

Transforming the U.S. health care system from paper-based to electronic-based may improve health care quality and reduce costs, but a new study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) suggests that goal is far off. The adoption of basic or comprehensive electronic health records (EHR) by U.S. hospitals increased modestly from 8.7% in 2008 to 11.9% in 2009, but only 2% of hospitals met the federal "meaningful use" standard needed to qualify for government financial incentives.

27 Aug 2010

Premier healthcare alliance labor management program helps hospitals save over $120 million

During a period of economic uncertainty, 150 hospitals and healthcare systems saved more than $120 million in labor and supply costs over the past year by participating in LaborConnect®, a Premier healthcare alliance labor management program.

27 Aug 2010

Study: One in four kids underinsured before recession

Even prior to the onset of the economic recession in 2008, nearly one in four American parents with health insurance reported that their coverage was so inadequate they were unable to access the medical care their children needed.

27 Aug 2010

Scaled back premium increases allowed for Calif. insurer; Calif. lawmakers pass bills setting up exchange; Alaska approves Abortion Notification Initiative

California insurance regulators cleared the way Wednesday for Anthem Blue Cross to implement scaled-back rate hikes after a previous increase was canceled amid an uproar over its size.

27 Aug 2010

DMAHS awards four-year Medicaid utilization review contract to Permedion

HMS announced today that the State of New Jersey Department of Human Services Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services has awarded a contract to Permedion, Inc., HMS's wholly owned subsidiary, to conduct utilization reviews, medical necessity audits, and Diagnosis Related Group validations of inpatient hospital medical services provided and billed for Medicaid beneficiaries.

26 Aug 2010

MedeAnalytics announces latest release of Patient Access Intelligence solution

MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, today announced its latest release of the company's Patient Access Intelligence solution, which streamlines the front-end registration and financial clearance process for healthcare providers. The release incorporates client input and reflects the company's strategic vision to address the entire revenue cycle of patient financial care, from registration to billing.

26 Aug 2010

First Edition: August 26, 2010

Highlights from today's headlines include the latest political developments surrounding health reform as well as news about California's health insurance premium rates.

26 Aug 2010

NCPA releases unbiased, detailed analysis of health care reform costs and benefits

The first detailed and objective consumer's guide on the impact of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has just been released by the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA), titled "What Does Health Care Reform Mean To You? A Detailed Analysis"

26 Aug 2010

N.C. Dept. of Corrections could cut inmate health care costs by requiring hospitals to bill Medicaid; Minn. lawmakers urge governor to seek enhanced Medicaid funds

WRAL: "The [N.C.] state Department of Correction could cut the health costs for inmates by $11.5 million a year by requiring hospitals and other medical service providers to bill Medicaid for eligible expenses, according to a state audit released Tuesday. The amount of potential savings would increase in 2014, when health care reform expands Medicaid eligibility, auditors said.

26 Aug 2010

Lockheed Martin awarded contracts to accelerate advancement of Nationwide Health Information Network

Lockheed Martin will take steps to accelerate the advancement of digital health records and secure health information exchanges with two new agreements to support the Nationwide Health Information Network. The contracts, which were awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), total $9 million over two years.

26 Aug 2010

Sysmex announces 3-year sole source microscopic urinalysis contract agreement with Novation

Sysmex, a global leader in medical diagnostic testing equipment and information systems technology, today announced a three-year sole source microscopic urinalysis contract agreement with group purchasing organization Novation. Novation is the leading health care supply contracting company for more than 25,000 members of VHA Inc. and the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), two national health care alliances, and 5,500 members of Provista, LLC, representing 28,000 sites.

From Sysmex America, Inc. 26 Aug 2010

3D MRI enhances visualization, displays fetal anatomy and diagnosing problems

Three-dimensional MRI is an emerging and useful technique for displaying fetal anatomy and diagnosing problems in the womb in a wide spectrum of clinical applications, according to Jeffrey C. Hellinger, M.D., a pediatric imaging specialist at Stony Brook University Medical Center.

26 Aug 2010

Health Net receives Merit Award in 19th annual National Mature Media Awards Program

Health Net, Inc. today announced that it was named a winner in the 19th annual National Mature Media Awards Program. The program, presented by the Mature Market Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for the senior market, recognizes the nation's finest advertising, marketing and educational materials designed and produced for older adults.

25 Aug 2010

Medicaid News and Research

Weekend Update: Use of high deductible insurance plans rises; Rubio assails health law; Medicaid vs. schools

Today's Opinions: Medicare illusions, small biz perks, abortion regs and more

Montana Gov. seeks cheaper drugs for residents; Legal immigrants may lose health insurace in Mass.

Moody's reports negative outlook for not-for-profit hospitals

Obama administration touts federal efforts to combat health care fraud

Research Roundups: Underinsured children; Hospital progress on electronic records; Federal officlals' work on comparative effectiveness

First Edition: August 27, 2010

Few US hospitals meet federal guidelines for 'meaningful use' in adoption of EHRs

Premier healthcare alliance labor management program helps hospitals save over $120 million

Study: One in four kids underinsured before recession

Scaled back premium increases allowed for Calif. insurer; Calif. lawmakers pass bills setting up exchange; Alaska approves Abortion Notification Initiative

DMAHS awards four-year Medicaid utilization review contract to Permedion

MedeAnalytics announces latest release of Patient Access Intelligence solution

First Edition: August 26, 2010

NCPA releases unbiased, detailed analysis of health care reform costs and benefits

N.C. Dept. of Corrections could cut inmate health care costs by requiring hospitals to bill Medicaid; Minn. lawmakers urge governor to seek enhanced Medicaid funds

Lockheed Martin awarded contracts to accelerate advancement of Nationwide Health Information Network

Sysmex announces 3-year sole source microscopic urinalysis contract agreement with Novation

3D MRI enhances visualization, displays fetal anatomy and diagnosing problems

Health Net receives Merit Award in 19th annual National Mature Media Awards Program

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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