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.

Texas officials studying needle-exchange program

Health officials in Bexar County, Texas, are considering if they should launch the state's first needle-exchange program in an effort to reduce the spread of HIV and other bloodborne diseases, but Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed has said that she will not hesitate to prosecute anyone who distributes needles before the program is approved, the Los Angeles Times reports (Bustillo, Los Angeles Times, 1/28).

30 Jan 2008

AIDS Healthcare Foundation criticizes Etravirine's pricing

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has urged Tibotec Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a division of Johnson & Johnson, to reconsider and reduce its steep price for its newest AIDS drug, etravirine (TMC 125), a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, (NNRTI), which received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval on Friday after a fast track or 'priority review' and approval process granted to companies for medications and therapies intended to treat life-threatening illnesses such as AIDS.

22 Jan 2008

NHPC tackles escalating health care costs, veterans health, comparative effectiveness research

Join experts from the Administration, Congress, and academia to discuss evidence-based solutions to the top health policy issues of 2008.

21 Jan 2008

Circumcision across the U.S.

Rates of circumcision vary widely across the nation, a phenomenon likely linked to regional variations in racial, ethnic and immigrant populations, as well as insurance coverage, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

21 Jan 2008

Colonoscopy fears overcome when patients support patients

Patients who have had a colonoscopy can play a life-saving role by encouraging other patients to follow through with their own colorectal cancer screenings, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

8 Jan 2008

Better access to cool caps improves outcomes, lowers cost of treating asphyxia in newborns

When newborns suffering from a form of asphyxia at birth have better access to head cooling devices, fewer will face a lifetime of debilitating and costly health complications, according to researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).

7 Jan 2008

Study finds way to increase use of health information record technologies

Slow diffusion of patient-managed electronic health information record technologies, or PHRs, has limited the development of an interoperable health information infrastructure that will greatly improve health-care quality and cost and will save lives.

4 Jan 2008

Patient with AIDS finds heart-assit device is an option when transplant is not

Josh Bristow was in the late stages of heart failure when he came to the Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Aug. 25, 2007.

28 Dec 2007

Factors associated with survival in advanced laryngeal cancer

Type of treatment, sex, race and insurance status are associated with survival rates among patients with advanced laryngeal cancer, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

18 Dec 2007

Only half of all Americans age 50 and over have had a colonoscopy

Only half of all Americans age 50 and over have had a colonoscopy, one of several common screening tests for colon cancer, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

17 Dec 2007

U.S. hospitals charged $873 billion in 2005

U.S. hospitals charged $873 billion in 2005 – a nearly 90 percent increase from the $462 billion charged in 1997 – according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research.

17 Dec 2007

Concept of patients' charters 'inadequate'

The concept of patients' charters is inadequate and should be replaced with charters of health responsibilities, argues an expert in this week's British Medical Journal.

10 Dec 2007

New report explores Medicaid's challenges in providing long-term care

Medicaid has evolved to become the primary payer for long-term care (LTC) services and supports to low-income elderly and disabled individuals, financing nearly half (42 percent) of the nation's spending on long-term care services.

29 Nov 2007

Tobacco-free states spend less on Medicaid

America's Medicaid system could spend nearly $10 billion less within five years if all Medicaid beneficiaries who smoke, quit. A new study released today by the American Legacy Foundation found that effective smoking prevention and cessation programs could cut Medicaid costs by 5.6 percent.

29 Nov 2007

Endocrine Society urges Congress to protect patient access to dual X-ray absorptiometry

The Endocrine Society strongly urges Congress to protect patient access to DXA (dual X-ray absorptiometry) - the leading diagnostic tool for the early detection and management of osteoporosis.

27 Nov 2007

Childhood obesity and the increasing burden of diabetes among young adults

Obesity is taking a hefty toll on the health of children and young adults, leaving more Americans facing the burden of a lifetime of diabetes care and management.

27 Nov 2007

The association of registered nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes

If hospitals added one more full-time registered nurse on staff to care for patients, the number of hospital-related deaths in the United States could decrease significantly, according to a new review.

27 Nov 2007

More youth with diabetes hospitalized, costing billions

Obesity is taking a hefty toll on the health of children and young adults, leaving more Americans facing the burden of a lifetime of diabetes care and management.

27 Nov 2007

MedPAC finds uneven quality in newer Medicare Advantage plans

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission officials at a meeting on Friday expressed concern over data showing differences in quality among newer Medicare Advantage plans and increasing enrollment in private fee-for-service MA plans, CQ HealthBeat reports.

12 Nov 2007

Improving hospital safety rating tools

In a bid to clean up misleading institutional safety comparisons and go further to fix safety problems, Johns Hopkins experts are proposing standard guidelines to be used as hospital safety rating tools.

6 Nov 2007