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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.

Medical Facilities' service revenue increases from $199.4M in 2008 to $207.4M in 2009

Medical Facilities Corporation, today reported its financial results for the three and twelve-month periods ended December 31, 2009. All amounts are expressed in U.S. dollars unless indicated otherwise.

22 Mar 2010

First Edition: March 22, 2010

Today's headlines detail yesterday's historic House vote on health reform while also looking forward to how action might play out in the Senate, how the legislative package impacts the current political dynamic and what its effects will be on consumers and stakeholders.

22 Mar 2010

Executive order on abortion funding to assuage anti-choice members: Center for Reproductive Rights concerned

News reports today confirm that an executive order on abortion funding is being developed in an attempt to assuage anti-choice members of the House of Representatives and to secure their votes in the down-to-the-wire battle over passage of healthcare reform. The text of the proposed executive order has not been publicly disclosed. Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights has this response:

22 Mar 2010

Passage of Health Reconciliation measure will reduce burden on Puerto Ricans

The National Puerto Rican Coalition today urged passage by the House of the so-called Health Reconciliation measure, which contains several provisions of importance to Puerto Rico.

22 Mar 2010

U.S. bishops urge House members to fix flaws or oppose Senate health reform bill

The U.S. bishops urged the House of Representatives to fix flaws in health care legislation or vote against its passage in a March 20 letter to House members.

22 Mar 2010

Thomson Reuters study finds 7.3% rise in employer healthcare costs for 2009

Average healthcare costs for U.S. employers increased 7.3 percent in 2009, according to study published today by Thomson Reuters. The year-over-year increase topped the 2008 rate of 6.1 percent and occurred in a year when the U.S. inflation rate was negative.

22 Mar 2010

A new chapter in the history of healthcare reform

The US house of Representatives has voted narrowly to pass a landmark reform that has been on the agenda for quite some time now. The bill passed by 219 votes to 212, with no Republican backing after strong debate. This bill will extend insurance coverage to 32 million more Americans, and marks the biggest change to the US healthcare system in decades.

22 Mar 2010

Public health emergency declaration for North Dakota in response to floods affecting the state

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has declared a public health emergency for North Dakota in response to floods affecting the state. The action ensures beneficiaries of Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program receive benefits during this emergency time period.

20 Mar 2010

Arizona eliminates CHIP; Schwarzenegger seeks to reform California prison health care system

The New York Times: "Arizona on Thursday became the first state to eliminate its Children's Health Insurance Program when Gov. Jan Brewer signed an austere budget that will leave nearly 47,000 low-income children without coverage." The state's budget woes are a stark depiction of "how the fiscal crisis afflicting state governments is cutting deeply into health care.

20 Mar 2010

Defrauding Medicare: Hamilton, N.J. hospital to pay $6.35M for settling allegations

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Hamilton, a New Jersey-based hospital, has agreed to pay $6.35 million to settle allegations that the hospital defrauded Medicare, the Justice Department announced today. Two lawsuits filed against the Hamilton, N.J., facility alleged that the hospital fraudulently inflated its charges to Medicare patients to obtain larger reimbursements from the federal health care program.

20 Mar 2010

U.S to face potential outbreak of hyperinflation by 2015

The National Inflation Association - http://inflation.us - today issued a warning to all Americans of a potential outbreak of hyperinflation in the U.S. by year 2015 caused primarily by the healthcare bill and rising interest payments on our national debt.

20 Mar 2010

Hospital News: Insurer negotiations, exemptions at risk, and Florida money trouble

Hospitals are pushing for higher reimbursement rates - in some cases, raises of more than 20 percent - and insurers are increasingly fighting back, The Wall Street Journal reports. "Hospitals argue that low Medicare rates and cuts to Medicaid mean that hospitals have to get money from elsewhere, and increasingly that is private insurers.

20 Mar 2010

NMA supports health system reform

"The National Medical Association believes the passage of health care legislation this weekend will be one of the most important steps Congress can take in securing America's future," remarked Dr. Willarda V. Edwards, president of the National Medical Association. "The NMA is hopeful that Sunday's vote will bring relief to millions of Americans who wonder what will happen to them if they get sick," she continued.

20 Mar 2010

Details of Democratic tweaks to health bill

News reports scour the latest health overhaul bill for specific provisions and adjustments.

20 Mar 2010

CCAGW calls upon Congress to vote against healthcare bill

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste today called upon Congress to reject any attempts to alter the nation’s healthcare system using parliamentary gimmicks and urged members to vote against the bill.

20 Mar 2010

CBO numbers buoy Democrats eyeing Sunday health reform vote

Democrats unveiled a health overhaul reconciliation bill the Congressional Budget Office says will cost $940 billion but also cut the deficit by $138 billion over the next 10 years.

20 Mar 2010

Research roundup: Insurance crisis tough on middle class; Hospitals' profit margins on private patients up

Private-Payer Profits Can Induce Negative Medicare Margins - "Hospitals' profit margins on privately insured patients have risen dramatically in recent years, while profit margins on Medicare patients have fallen," write the authors, who all work for MedPAC.

20 Mar 2010

Comprehensive community-based solution to help achieve 'meaningful use'

Navigating the Challenges of Meaningful Use to Identify Benefits, March 31, 2010, 2 p.m. CT, a Webinar hosted by Informatics Corporation of America, will explore how to practically implement a community-wide solution that assists its healthcare participants to achieve the proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’s criteria for meaningful use and bridge gaps in the adoption of electronic health records by its provider community.

19 Mar 2010

Predominantly white, insured and sick patients frequently use ER

Frequent users of the emergency department are predominantly white, insured and at greater risk for hospitalization due to serious illness, despite public perceptions of them as abusers of the healthcare system with minor complaints and no health insurance. This is the consensus of a systematic review of two dozen published studies of so-called "frequent flyers" ("Frequent Users of Emergency Departments: The Myths, the Data, and the Policy Implications").

19 Mar 2010

Enrollment in internal medicine residency program remains stagnant

The number of U.S. medical students choosing internal medicine residencies inched higher from 2009 but not enough to significantly impact the shortage of primary care physicians.

19 Mar 2010

Medicaid News and Research

Medical Facilities' service revenue increases from $199.4M in 2008 to $207.4M in 2009

First Edition: March 22, 2010

Executive order on abortion funding to assuage anti-choice members: Center for Reproductive Rights concerned

Passage of Health Reconciliation measure will reduce burden on Puerto Ricans

U.S. bishops urge House members to fix flaws or oppose Senate health reform bill

Thomson Reuters study finds 7.3% rise in employer healthcare costs for 2009

A new chapter in the history of healthcare reform

Public health emergency declaration for North Dakota in response to floods affecting the state

Arizona eliminates CHIP; Schwarzenegger seeks to reform California prison health care system

Defrauding Medicare: Hamilton, N.J. hospital to pay $6.35M for settling allegations

U.S to face potential outbreak of hyperinflation by 2015

Hospital News: Insurer negotiations, exemptions at risk, and Florida money trouble

NMA supports health system reform

Details of Democratic tweaks to health bill

CCAGW calls upon Congress to vote against healthcare bill

CBO numbers buoy Democrats eyeing Sunday health reform vote

Research roundup: Insurance crisis tough on middle class; Hospitals' profit margins on private patients up

Comprehensive community-based solution to help achieve 'meaningful use'

Predominantly white, insured and sick patients frequently use ER

Enrollment in internal medicine residency program remains stagnant

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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