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Georgia disputes reports of big Medicaid enrollment jump

According to the state's Department of Community Health, the increase in enrollment was about 37,000, significantly lower than the nearly 99,000 estimated by a consulting group earlier this year.

29 May 2014

Nevada to use federal exchange for next open enrollment

The board of Nevada's online insurance exchange voted Tuesday to scrap its contract with Xerox, which built the exchange that has been marked by problems.

22 May 2014

State highlights: Calif. bill on keeping small biz health plans; Colo. rating area plan approved

A selection of health policy stories from California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington state and Massachusetts.

21 May 2014

Highlights: Nurse practitioners fight for autonomy in Texas; Ohio physician assistant prescriptions; drug options in Colo.

A selection of health policy stories from Texas, Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Alabama, Connecticut and Kansas.

20 May 2014

Republicans seek end to health law tax on medical devices

Also, two Republicans want states with failed health insurance exchanges to pay back the money the federal government gave them to start the marketplaces. Elsewhere, abortion rights groups push against a proposed ban on the procedure, and the parties debate over the prevalence of canceled health plans.

15 May 2014

State highlights: N.Y. Medicaid change and cash; Conn. mental health cops; Conn. mental health school outreach

A selection of health policy stories from New York, Connecticut and Minnesota. When Hurricane Sandy flooded two adult homes in Queens, hundreds of disabled, elderly or mentally ill residents were caught in the surge.

12 May 2014

Research roundup: Unearthing factors in hospital readmissions; dissecting the enrollment surge

Using inpatient data from an urban teaching hospital, we examined how elements of individual characteristics and neighborhood socioeconomic status influenced the likelihood of readmission ... Patients living in high-poverty neighborhoods were 24 percent more likely than others to be readmitted, after demographic characteristics and clinical conditions were adjusted for. Married patients were at significantly reduced risk of readmission, which suggests that they had more social support than unmarried patients. These and previous findings that document socioeconomic disparities in readmission raise the question of whether CMS's readmission measures and associated financial penalties should be adjusted for the effects of factors beyond hospital influence at the individual or neighborhood level, such as poverty and lack of social support (Hu, Gonsahn and Nerenz, May 2014).

12 May 2014

State highlights: Missouri Medicaid benefits; telepsychiatry in rural states; Conn. for-profit hospital bill

A selection of health policy stories from Missouri, North Carolina, Connecticut, Georgia, Minnesota, Michigan and Alaska.

9 May 2014

State highlights: SEIU, hospital strike deal in Calif.; N.Y. Medicaid audit; dental therapists

A selection of health policy stories from California, New York, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana and North Carolina.

8 May 2014

Commonly used drug restores blood flow to oxygen-starved muscles of boys with muscular dystrophy

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute researchers have found that a commonly prescribed drug restores blood flow to oxygen-starved muscles of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a genetic muscle-wasting disease that rarely is seen in girls but affects one in 3,500 male babies, profoundly shortening life expectancy. It is the most common fatal disease that affects children.

8 May 2014

State highlights: Mixed reaction to new telehealth guideline; Calif. mental health grants; Conn. nurse practitioners

The Federation of State Medical Boards approved a model telehealth policy this weekend that's made some providers of these services happy and others, well, not so much, because of its emphasis on using video rather than audio technology for a first patient visit (Conn, 4/28).

30 Apr 2014

State highlights: Home care workers' pay and Medicaid budgets; Calif. mental health grants; NYU ER reopens

A new rule from the Obama administration designed to provide better pay and working conditions to 2 million home care workers is forcing many states to rethink how they look at Medicaid payments and may result in higher Medicaid costs. Starting Jan. 1, home care workers in 29 states will, for the first time, be eligible for the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour and overtime pay, under a new regulation from the U.S. Department of Labor. These workers go to homes of the elderly and the disabled to help with cooking, bathing and other daily tasks, and are paid by the clients or through Medicaid (Prah, 4/25).

26 Apr 2014

Highlights: New abortion restrictions in Mississippi; political ad calls Maryland exchange a 'failure'

Gov. Phil Bryant signed a bill on Wednesday to ban abortion starting at the midpoint of a full-term pregnancy. Supporters say the measure will protect women's health; opponents say it is unconstitutional (4/24).

25 Apr 2014

Detailing the winners: Which insurers scored the most health exchanges sign-ups

In California, it was Anthem Blue Cross, while Kaiser Permanente, Rocky Mountain Health Plans and the Colorado HealthOP appeared to fare well through that state's online insurance marketplace. Meanwhile, reports also track how the small business exchanges did in Rhode Island and Connecticut.

23 Apr 2014

State highlights: Mass. can't ban painkiller, judge rules; Kan. and health care compact bill

A selection of health policy stories from Massachusetts, Kansas, Florida, Michigan, Connecticut, Maryland, Arizona, Hawaii, Missouri and Georgia.

17 Apr 2014

Highlights: N.Y.'s $8B Medicaid waiver; Conn. Medicaid application delays settlement; managed care overpayment in Washington state

New York and federal officials report final agreement allowing the state to reinvest $8 billion in Medicaid savings to support hospital overhauls and expand primary medical care over the next five years. The goal of the Medicaid waiver is to reduce avoidable hospital use by 25 percent while helping financially struggling hospitals shift to more primary and outpatient care (4/14).

16 Apr 2014

Highlights: Va. mental health care task force; pharmacist duties in N.C.; nurse practitioners in Conn.

A selection of health policy stories from Virginia, North Carolina, New York, Connecticut, Minnesota, Florida, Iowa and Oregon.

11 Apr 2014

More young workers decline employer health coverage

Despite the mandate that most Americans carry health insurance or pay a penalty, young workers employed by large companies signed up for job-based health plans at a lower rate than last year, according to a report by payroll services company Automatic Data Processing Inc. Meanwhile, Connecticut gets another insurer, and employers continue to shift health care costs to their workers.

7 Apr 2014

Roundup: Battles fought over Lyme disease, autism and abortion

In Texas, abortion providers file suit to block a state rule that could shut down many of the state's remaining clinics, while lawmakers in Vermont and N.Y. seek to immunize doctors who prescribe long-term antibiotics for patients with lasting symptoms attributed to Lyme disease.

3 Apr 2014

L.A. Times: More than 9 million uninsured gain coverage

The newspaper's tally draws on state and federal enrollment reports, surveys by consultants and interviews with insurance and government officials. Meanwhile, insurers and others intensify efforts to sign up young customers.

1 Apr 2014