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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.

States continue to wrestle with Medicaid spending, budget issues; Utah legislation would criminalize illegal abortion

Cincinnati Business Courier: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has signed a bill that will extend the state's mini-COBRA program from 12 to 15 months for small-business employees, according to a report in Columbus Business First (3/1).

2 Mar 2010

Michigan hospitals face rising costs; Doctor urges culture changes to increase safety

Hospitals in Michigan are losing money, according to a report expected to be released today by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association. The Detroit Free Press reports that the losses are leading to "layoffs, hiring freezes and elimination of some services."

2 Mar 2010

HCA announces intention to offer $1.0 billion senior secured first lien notes due 2020

HCA today announced that it intends to offer $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of senior secured first lien notes due 2020 (the "Notes"). In accordance with the terms of its senior secured credit facilities, HCA will use the net proceeds from the offering to repay term loans under its cash flow credit facility.

2 Mar 2010

Reid planning to start debate on COBRA, Medicaid help extensions

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is planning to start debate Monday on a bill that would extend COBRA health coverage benefit subsidies for people who have been laid-off. The measure, part of a larger package of expired government programs, also would help states with Medicaid reimbursements.

2 Mar 2010

Coalition to Protect Patients’ Rights opposes Medicare payment cuts

Due to Congressional inaction, Medicare’s reimbursement rates to doctors for their care of our nation’s elderly population will be cut a staggering 21 percent today.

2 Mar 2010

New treatment guidelines demonstrate that best care does not always cost more

Arizona Oncology is proud to be a part of the larger network that just completed a recently conducted study by US Oncology and Aetna that finds evidence-based care for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) results in an average cost savings of 35 percent over 12 months while demonstrating equivalent health outcomes.

2 Mar 2010

Drugmakers' business practices draw scrutiny

Three top California Medicaid officials in charge of pharmacy issues failed to disclose trips paid for by drug-industry funded business groups, California Watch/San Francisco Chronicle reports. Officials who are directly involved in setting drug policy and negotiating payments took about 12 trips paid for by these nonprofit business groups. The nonprofits hold conferences such as the those attended by the Medicaid officials and raise their money through fees from drug representatives who attend conferences, too.

1 Mar 2010

Medicare cuts to doctors payments go into effect today

Starting today, doctors face a 21 percent cut in their reimbursements from Medicare based on a federal budget law that sets physican payments based on other economic factors. In past years, Congress has routinely waived such cuts. The House passed a bill to again postpone the cuts but a similar attempt in the Senate stalled last week.

1 Mar 2010

While Congress debates, health costs continue steep rise

The New York Times' "Week in Review" section features a story that begins: "Suppose Congress and President Obama fail to overhaul the system now, or just tinker around the edges, or start over, as the Republicans propose. ... Then 'my health care' stays the same, right? Far from it, health policy analysts and economists of nearly every ideological persuasion agree. The unrelenting rise in medical costs is likely to wreak havoc within the system and beyond it. ... Even those families that enjoy generous insurance now are likely to see the cost of those benefits escalate.

1 Mar 2010

Xerox to manage all document and business process needs within healthcare organization

The recent acquisition of Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. makes Xerox Corporation the largest provider to manage all document and business process needs within a healthcare organization – from clinical and operational to financial and administrative.

1 Mar 2010

Elsevier to present tactical solutions for advancing healthcare quality at HIMSS 2010

Advancing healthcare quality to help improve patient outcomes and economic efficiency continues to be a primary focus in 2010 for Elsevier, the leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information. During HIMSS 2010 (Atlanta, GA, March 1-3), Elsevier Clinical Decision Support will feature solutions that directly impact the quality of care, including evidence-based clinical content and tools; interdisciplinary documentation, planning and guidelines; drug decision support; interactive skills and procedures; data mining and outcomes analysis; and eLearning.

1 Mar 2010

Republicans press campaign against reconciliation; Mccain seek to strip Medicare out of health bill

Republicans and Democrat hit the Sunday talk shows today to debate whether a complex congressional process called 'reconciliation' should be used to consider a major overhaul of the U.S. health care system. Reconciliation is normally used for 'taxing and spending and reducing deficits,' said Sen.

28 Feb 2010

Aetna.com: Most visited health insurance website

The recently redesigned Aetna.com is a hit with web surfers, who made it the most visited website among health insurers in the fourth quarter of 2009. In fact, 20 percent of Americans who visited a health insurance website during the quarter visited an Aetna site, according to “The Online Health Insurance Landscape,” an independent online audience measurement of health insurance websites recently released by comScore.

27 Feb 2010

Two Atlanta-based nursing homes and their principals to pay the U.S. and several states $14M

Atlanta-based Mariner Health Care Inc. and SavaSeniorCare Administrative Services LLC, as well as their principals, Leonard Grunstein, Murray Forman and Rubin Schron, have agreed to pay the United States and several states $14 million, the Justice Department announced today.

27 Feb 2010

Health Policy Research Roundup: Length of hospital stays, analyses of Obama's reform proposals

Archives Of Internal Medicine: Hospital Cost Of Care, Quality Of Care, And Readmission Rates - This study compares patients treated for pneumonia and congestive heart failure (CHF) and finds that high-cost hospitals don't always deliver better care. The researchers, who based their analysis on the data from 3,146 hospitals in the 2004 to 2006 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR), report that "risk-adjusted costs of care for CHF and pneumonia varied widely between hospitals, although hospital cost-of-care patterns seemed stable over time and correlated across conditions."

27 Feb 2010

Fact-checks of the bipartisan health care summit

News outlets fact-check the bipartisan health care summit and provide analyses of the messaging and poll numbers lawmakers used during the six-hour event.

27 Feb 2010

Criticism, passion emerge at health care summit

NPR interviewed Rep. Dave Camp, ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee. Camp said: "We were able to at least be heard and have some exposure to the ideas that we've been promoting for a long time. And the president did finally say in the close that we do have ideas that lower costs in insurance and that — do it without increasing taxes. And we don't cut Medicare. And we don't have new mandates in our proposals. So this is really the first opportunity we've had to really focus not only our colleagues and the president, but also the American people on the proposals we've had" (Siegel, 2/25).

26 Feb 2010

Carotid artery stenting and carotid endarterectomy equally safe and effective for people at risk for stroke

Carotid artery stenting, a less invasive alternative to surgery on the carotid artery (carotid endarterectomy), is equally safe and effective for people at risk for stroke as carotid endarterectomy, according to a major new study presented today at the 2010 International Stroke Conference in San Antonio, Texas.

26 Feb 2010

Magellan Health Services reports net revenue of $2.64 billion for year ended December 31, 2009

Magellan Health Services, Inc. today reported net revenue of $2.64 billion, net income of $106.7 million, or $3.01 per diluted common share, and segment profit of $227.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2009.

26 Feb 2010

Idaho Health Freedom Act may have severe implications on health care system in Idaho: AARP

As the President and a bipartisan group of members of Congress come together today to discuss how to tackle the nation's growing health care crisis, Idaho Senators are poised to debate a bill tomorrow that could make the issue worse in the state. The Idaho Health Freedom Act (HB 391), taking aim at a component of a non-existent federal health care law, could wreak havoc in Idaho, while costing the state money and jobs.

26 Feb 2010

Medicaid News and Research

States continue to wrestle with Medicaid spending, budget issues; Utah legislation would criminalize illegal abortion

Michigan hospitals face rising costs; Doctor urges culture changes to increase safety

HCA announces intention to offer $1.0 billion senior secured first lien notes due 2020

Reid planning to start debate on COBRA, Medicaid help extensions

Coalition to Protect Patients’ Rights opposes Medicare payment cuts

New treatment guidelines demonstrate that best care does not always cost more

Drugmakers' business practices draw scrutiny

Medicare cuts to doctors payments go into effect today

While Congress debates, health costs continue steep rise

Xerox to manage all document and business process needs within healthcare organization

Elsevier to present tactical solutions for advancing healthcare quality at HIMSS 2010

Republicans press campaign against reconciliation; Mccain seek to strip Medicare out of health bill

Aetna.com: Most visited health insurance website

Two Atlanta-based nursing homes and their principals to pay the U.S. and several states $14M

Health Policy Research Roundup: Length of hospital stays, analyses of Obama's reform proposals

Fact-checks of the bipartisan health care summit

Criticism, passion emerge at health care summit

Carotid artery stenting and carotid endarterectomy equally safe and effective for people at risk for stroke

Magellan Health Services reports net revenue of $2.64 billion for year ended December 31, 2009

Idaho Health Freedom Act may have severe implications on health care system in Idaho: AARP

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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