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.

New data on health insurance to be included in AHRQ's 2009 State Snapshots

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's annual release of state-by-state quality data has been expanded to include new data on health insurance, including data on health care quality categorized by source of payment, including private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and those without insurance.

23 Jul 2010

Premier awards Press Ganey contract to measure, improve patient satisfaction across member organizations

Press Ganey Associates, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded contracts by Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P., Inc., the group purchasing unit of Premier, Inc., to help measure and improve satisfaction and engagement among patients, employees, and physicians at its member organizations.

23 Jul 2010

Fla. doctors consider cutting ties to AMA; Indiana seeks to get more uninsured covered; LA continues to seek leader for troubled health department

The House of Delegates of the Florida Medical Association is scheduled to consider a resolution severing ties with the American Medical Association because of its support for the healthcare reform law. The Florida group will consider the move at its annual meeting next month. The scathing resolution takes the AMA to task for having 'failed to achieve one single concession' in the healthcare reform bill.

23 Jul 2010

States, senior groups, pressure Congress to continue extra Medicaid funding

CQ HealthBeat: "Despite doubts that Congress will pass legislation before the August recess to maintain higher levels of Medicaid funding, senior groups say they'll keep putting pressure on lawmakers to act this month. … In recent days AARP circulated a letter to each member of Congress calling on them to immediately pass legislation that would extend the higher levels of Medicaid funding afforded to states as part of the economic stimulus law.

23 Jul 2010

Today's OpEds: The challenge of medicare spending; Two views of Massachussets; Regulating premiums

Health reform can be assessed from the perspective of four groups that collectively include most Americans. For those who are now in Medicaid or who are uninsured, reform will be a major gain. For those who obtain health insurance in the individual and small-group markets, reform should bring improvements. For those who have health insurance from midsize- and large-group insurers, reform will bring little change. Finally, for Medicare beneficiaries, reform promises to bring positive change.

23 Jul 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb second-quarter net sales increase 2% to $4.8 billion

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company today reported results for the second quarter of 2010 which featured data on key marketed and investigational compounds in its oncology, diabetes and cardiovascular franchises, and growth in sales and EPS. The company also confirmed guidance for 2010 and minimum guidance for non-GAAP EPS in 2013.

22 Jul 2010

MedeAnalytics, Health Net enter agreement to provide healthcare performance management solutions

MedeAnalytics, a leading provider of healthcare performance management solutions, announced that it has entered into a multi-year agreement with Health Net, Inc. to provide performance management solutions for Health Net's health plan operations and Medicare products. The solutions will enhance Health Net's current data analytics capabilities and include Medical Management Analytics, Provider Network Management Analytics and Operations Performance Management.

22 Jul 2010

Baxter second-quarter global sales increase 2% to $3.2 billion

Baxter International Inc. today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2010, reporting earnings in line with the company's previously issued guidance of $0.90 to $0.93 per diluted share.

From Baxter International Inc. 22 Jul 2010

Penn. official urges Bill to prohibit 'health profiling' and limit rate hikes; Nev., Ariz. wrestle with rising costs for public employees' benefits; McCollum releases health plan

"Pennsylvania's insurance commissioner is urging state legislators to pass a bill that would prohibit 'health profiling' and limit rate increases in advance of the 2014 enactment of the main provisions of the federal health-care reform law. Testifying before the House Insurance Committee, ... Joel Ario said he arrived at those recommendations following the department's investigation on the rating practices and premium increases of the top nine health insurance companies operating in Pennsylvania" (Toland, 7/21).

22 Jul 2010

Elan total revenue increases 10% to $579.4 million for first half of 2010

Elan Corporation, plc today reported its second quarter and first half 2010 financial results.

22 Jul 2010

Hospital updates: ERs try to shorten waits, Florida Children's Hospital to join with Johns Hopkins

To attract patients, hospitals are increasingly posting wait times for their emergency rooms "on billboards, websites, social media outlets like Twitter and in text messages," The Salt Lake Tribune reports. "It's a competitive strategy, but also a tool for bending the wait-time curve and, hopefully, improving patient care, said Mary Joe Jones, chief clinical nursing officer at St. Mark's Hospital in Salt Lake City."

22 Jul 2010

Severe state budget shortfalls trigger Medicaid program cuts

As states face severe budget shortfalls, many have cut home-care services for the elderly or the disabled, programs that have been shown to save states money in the long run because they keep people out of nursing homes. Since the start of the recession, at least 25 states and the District of Columbia have curtailed programs that include meal deliveries, housekeeping aid and assistance for family caregivers, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a research organization.

22 Jul 2010

Enrollment jump helps UnitedHealth Group profits soar 31 percent

Health insurer UnitedHealth Group reported a second quarter profit jump of 31 percent as enrollment in the insurer's plans went up, The Associated Press/The New York Times reports. "The company's total enrollment grew about 1 percent, to 32.5 million compared with last year, with gains in Medicare and Medicaid businesses offsetting commercial health insurance losses." The company's commercial enrollment fell 440,000 as the sector deals with job cuts and the recession (7/20).

22 Jul 2010

'Meaningful use' guidelines under fire from Republicans

NextGov: Recently released requirements for physicians and hospitals to earn cash rewards for the "meaningful use" of electronic medical records are not tough enough to justify an investment of billions of dollars, House Republicans said Tuesday. "In a hearing of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, officials from the Health and Human Services Department defended the recently released standards.

22 Jul 2010

Lawmakers: Extend Medicaid subsidies to help African-American seniors

"Three black members of Congress on Tuesday said minority nursing home patients would be disproportionately affected if Congress fails to extend bonus payments to state Medicaid programs" (Galewitz, 7/20).

22 Jul 2010

DenteMax offers largest network approved for Medicare dental benefits

DenteMax, the nation's largest seamless dental PPO network, now also offers the largest seamless network approved for Medicare dental benefits. The new network provides access to more than 65,000 approved dentist access points and is built on the strong foundation of the commercial DenteMax network.

22 Jul 2010

Medicare Star Support Program launched to help Medicare Advantage plans boost star ratings

Health Dialog today announced that it has launched its Medicare Star Support Program to help Medicare Advantage plans boost their Health Plan Quality and Performance ("Star") Ratings and ensure that seniors are getting the best care possible. Star ratings are calculated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and can range from 1 to 5, with 5 representing the highest quality.

21 Jul 2010

First Edition: July 21, 2010

Today's headlines include news regarding specific examples of what could happen at the state level if Congress doesn't extend enhanced federal Medicaid funding.

21 Jul 2010

CAP calls for increased FDA oversight of laboratory developed and 'direct-to-consumer' tests

With the increasing importance of laboratory tests in diagnosing and treating disease, representatives of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) today presented recommendations to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urging increased oversight of laboratory developed tests (LDTs) and "direct-to-consumer" tests. Most genetic tests fall into one or both of these testing categories.

21 Jul 2010

States worry Congress may not provide extra Medicaid funding; AARP steps in to advocate for the cause

"New York's budget took another blow on Monday, as Congress pulled away from providing more than $1 billion in expected health-care funding. If the money doesn't show up soon, officials warn, there will be layoffs. Senate aides said Monday that a measure to extend unemployment benefits is likely to pass this week, but won't include the extra Medicaid money that Gov. David Paterson and Mayor Michael Bloomberg had been seeking to plug budget holes. In previous versions of the bill, the money had been included along with unemployment benefits."

21 Jul 2010

Medicaid News and Research

New data on health insurance to be included in AHRQ's 2009 State Snapshots

Premier awards Press Ganey contract to measure, improve patient satisfaction across member organizations

Fla. doctors consider cutting ties to AMA; Indiana seeks to get more uninsured covered; LA continues to seek leader for troubled health department

States, senior groups, pressure Congress to continue extra Medicaid funding

Today's OpEds: The challenge of medicare spending; Two views of Massachussets; Regulating premiums

Bristol-Myers Squibb second-quarter net sales increase 2% to $4.8 billion

MedeAnalytics, Health Net enter agreement to provide healthcare performance management solutions

Baxter second-quarter global sales increase 2% to $3.2 billion

Penn. official urges Bill to prohibit 'health profiling' and limit rate hikes; Nev., Ariz. wrestle with rising costs for public employees' benefits; McCollum releases health plan

Elan total revenue increases 10% to $579.4 million for first half of 2010

Hospital updates: ERs try to shorten waits, Florida Children's Hospital to join with Johns Hopkins

Severe state budget shortfalls trigger Medicaid program cuts

Enrollment jump helps UnitedHealth Group profits soar 31 percent

'Meaningful use' guidelines under fire from Republicans

Lawmakers: Extend Medicaid subsidies to help African-American seniors

DenteMax offers largest network approved for Medicare dental benefits

Medicare Star Support Program launched to help Medicare Advantage plans boost star ratings

First Edition: July 21, 2010

CAP calls for increased FDA oversight of laboratory developed and 'direct-to-consumer' tests

States worry Congress may not provide extra Medicaid funding; AARP steps in to advocate for the cause

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

Latest News