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.

Historic low in drug spending growth coincides with cost-saving tools developed by PBMs

Expenditures on prescription drugs increased just 3.2 percent in 2008 – the smallest annual rate of increase in 47 years – according to new data released today by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

6 Jan 2010

House health care bill offers insurance help to some migrants from Pacific Islands

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jenny Gold, in collaboration with National Public Radio, goes to Springdale, Ark., the self-described "Chicken Capitol of the World," to report on an enclave of unlikely migrants -- 6,000 people from the Marshall Islands -- who are watching the health care debate with heightened interest.

6 Jan 2010

UHC signs strategic partnership agreement with EHR

The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) and Executive Health Resources, Inc. (EHR) today announced the signing of a strategic partnership that will make EHR's expert Physician Advisor solutions available to all UHC members.

6 Jan 2010

Medicare begins to reimburse for HIV screening

The Hartford Courant reports that "testing for the virus among those 65 and older lags far behind testing of other Americans, and experts say they worry that HIV cases in older adults go undiagnosed — some because of the stigma that the disease still carries, some because patients might dismiss the symptoms of the virus as signs of other conditions more frequently associated with aging and some because doctors can be hesitant to talk to older patients about sex or link their symptoms with HIV."

6 Jan 2010

State lawmakers vow to fight variations in health overhaul's costs for Medicaid expansions

Newspapers report on the controversy about variations in individual state costs for a Medicaid expansion in health care overhaul legislation.

6 Jan 2010

U.S. health spending slows in '08, but federal share soars

A new government report shows that U.S. health spending grew 4.4 percent in 2008 to $2.3 trillion, the slowest annual rate of increase since federal tracking efforts began in 1960, USA Today reports.

6 Jan 2010

Wisconsin rural hospitals hope for federal money to offset state Medicaid cut

Wisconsin's rural hospitals hope to offset a state Medicaid cut with a tax that would bring more federal money to the hospitals. The proposed tax on the state's 59 'critical access' hospitals, all in rural areas, would prevent the hospitals from closing important services, officials say.

5 Jan 2010

Hospitals to receive payments from Medicare and Medicaid for effective use of EHRs

According to a survey released today by CSC titled “Are Hospitals Ready for Meaningful Use of EHRs?” U.S. hospitals are only halfway to qualifying for government incentive payments aimed at controlling healthcare costs while improving the quality and effective delivery of patient care.

5 Jan 2010

Children’s vaccination coverage rises substantially in U.S.

About three-quarters of U.S. children received recommended vaccinations in 2008, up from about half in 2000, reports a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

5 Jan 2010

Majority of Medicaid patients on antipsychotic drugs do not undergo metabolic tests, says study

Despite government warnings and professional recommendations about diabetes risks associated with second-generation antipsychotic drugs, fewer than one-third of Medicaid patients who are treated with these medications undergo tests of blood glucose or lipid levels, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

5 Jan 2010

H1N1 vaccine available at Walgreens pharmacies and Take Care Clinics

Every Walgreens pharmacy, every day. The once-scarce H1N1 vaccine is now available daily at all of the more than 7,100 Walgreens pharmacies and 350 Take Care Clinics throughout the country.

5 Jan 2010

Hospitals in different regions react to Medicaid cuts

For Indiana hospitals, Medicaid rates have long lagged behind other types of payers - with no increase since 1993 - but after a year of deep recessions and state budget cuts, those hospitals are now looking at a five percent cut, The (Fort Wayne) Journal Gazette reports.

5 Jan 2010

HMS acquires Verify Solutions

HMS today announced that it has acquired the assets of Verify Solutions, a metropolitan Atlanta-based company specializing in dependent eligibility audit services for employer-sponsored healthcare plans.

5 Jan 2010

San Diego's PACE program lowering cost for seniors who want to retain independence

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that an elderly care program is allowing senior citizens to retain their independence by providing medical care and home assistance through a nonprofit program.

5 Jan 2010

Health debate puts Nelson under scrutiny, brings attention to Dean

Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson's crucial 60th vote allowed his Senate colleagues to block a likely Republican filibuster and pass their version of the health overhaul legislation last month, but it also brought him unwelcome attention at home, The Wall Street Journal reports.

4 Jan 2010

Congressional negotiators returning to start conference talks on health reform bill

Democratic lawmakers will begin this week to try to hammer out a compromise between the House and Senate versions of a health care reform bill as they keep an eye on votes for the measures.

4 Jan 2010

Despite huge expansion of coverage, millions of people would remain uninsured under Senate bill

The Senate health care reform bill would leave as many as 23 million people without insurance by 2018, providing a problem for Democrats who ultimately want universal health care, The Washington Post reports.

4 Jan 2010

The Ensign Group acquires Paramount Health & Rehabilitation Center

The Ensign Group, Inc., announced today that it has acquired the underlying real estate and other operating assets of Paramount Health & Rehabilitation Center, an 85-bed skilled nursing facility in Salt Lake City. An Ensign subsidiary has been operating the facility since December of 2008 under a lease with an option to purchase. The acquisition was effective December 31, 2009.

4 Jan 2010

Unison Health Plan employees donate socks to Operation Safety Net

Employees from Unison Health Plan, part of AmeriChoice, the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care company, have donated 1,243 pairs of socks to Operation Safety Net, helping Pittsburgh’s homeless.

4 Jan 2010

Employees from AmeriChoice donate 535 pairs of socks to the Dayspring Center in Indianapolis

Employees from AmeriChoice, the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care company, have donated 535 pairs of socks to the Dayspring Center in Indianapolis. Nationally, the drive collected socks in nearly 30 different locations to benefit local charities.

4 Jan 2010

Medicaid News and Research

Historic low in drug spending growth coincides with cost-saving tools developed by PBMs

House health care bill offers insurance help to some migrants from Pacific Islands

UHC signs strategic partnership agreement with EHR

Medicare begins to reimburse for HIV screening

State lawmakers vow to fight variations in health overhaul's costs for Medicaid expansions

U.S. health spending slows in '08, but federal share soars

Wisconsin rural hospitals hope for federal money to offset state Medicaid cut

Hospitals to receive payments from Medicare and Medicaid for effective use of EHRs

Children’s vaccination coverage rises substantially in U.S.

Majority of Medicaid patients on antipsychotic drugs do not undergo metabolic tests, says study

H1N1 vaccine available at Walgreens pharmacies and Take Care Clinics

Hospitals in different regions react to Medicaid cuts

HMS acquires Verify Solutions

San Diego's PACE program lowering cost for seniors who want to retain independence

Health debate puts Nelson under scrutiny, brings attention to Dean

Congressional negotiators returning to start conference talks on health reform bill

Despite huge expansion of coverage, millions of people would remain uninsured under Senate bill

The Ensign Group acquires Paramount Health & Rehabilitation Center

Unison Health Plan employees donate socks to Operation Safety Net

Employees from AmeriChoice donate 535 pairs of socks to the Dayspring Center in Indianapolis

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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