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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.

CMS report: House bill will raise health care costs, affect seniors' benefits

A new report from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finds that the health overhaul bill passed by the House will raise health costs by approximately $289 billion in the next ten years. The report was requested by House Republicans and compiled by CMS' chief actuary, Richard Foster.

16 Nov 2009

SynerMed and L.A. Care team up to launch e-consult program

SynerMed, Inc., the largest Medicaid managed service organization (MSO) in the country, in collaboration with L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest public health plan, announced today the launch of an e-consult pilot program.

16 Nov 2009

Federal health overhaul could force state changes

The House bill includes, for instance, $23.5 billion to "allow Congress to continue pumping billions in new short-term aid to states to cover Medicaid costs that have increased with rising unemployment in the past year," The Washington Post reports.

16 Nov 2009

States experience Medicaid changes and offer new models for reform

News outlets report on a variety of health issues at the state level including the upcoming launch of a huge Medicaid data project in Florida, health care changes that could reduce spending in Georgia and a model for reform in Vermont.

16 Nov 2009

2009 report: False Medicare claims cost government more than $47 billion

The Associated Press: "The government paid more than $47 billion in questionable Medicare claims including medical treatment showing little relation to a patient's condition, wasting taxpayer dollars at a rate nearly three times the previous year.

16 Nov 2009

HIRC recognizes CDPHP for offering best disease management program in upstate New York

Health Dialog Services Corporation, a leading provider of healthcare decision programs, today announced that its client, Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan, Inc. (CDPHP®), has been recognized by the Health Industries Research Cos. (HIRC) for offering the best disease management program in upstate New York.

16 Nov 2009

Bright Now! Dental announces the opening of Castle Dental office in Kyle

Bright Now! Dental Inc., the nation’s leading provider of business support services to dentists, announces the grand opening of a new Castle Dental office in Kyle. Located at 5103 Kyle Center Drive in the Kyle Corners Shopping Center, the office provides families with a convenient, comfortable environment where they can receive the latest in comprehensive, full-serve quality dental care.

16 Nov 2009

Genetic test for familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy launched by PGxHealth

PGxHealth, a division of Clinical Data, Inc., today announced the launch of its genetic test for familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy, an inherited heart disease which is the leading cause of heart transplants and a possible cause of sudden cardiac death.

16 Nov 2009

Neighborhood Healthcare selects eClinicalWorks EMR and PM solution

eClinicalWorks®, a market leader in ambulatory clinical systems, today announced that Neighborhood Healthcare, which serves Riverside and San Diego counties, has selected eClinicalWorks unified electronic medical records (EMR) and practice management (PM) solution along with eClinicalWorks Enterprise Business Optimizer’s (eBO) enhanced reporting capabilities for its 115 providers across 11 locations.

16 Nov 2009

SPOT: A one-stop HIV and sexually transmitted diseases testing center for youth

In the last 10 years, the St. Louis area has seen an alarming increase in new diagnoses of HIV and sexually transmitted infections among 13-24 year-olds. Between 1997-2007, more than 50 new diagnoses of HIV were made each year among adolescents and young adults, who are often disconnected from the health-care system or support services. Nationwide, St. Louis has among the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases in this age group.

16 Nov 2009

First Edition: October 16, 2009

News reports continue to focus on the landmines that exist within health reform proposals.

16 Nov 2009

Feds overlooked Medicare scam warnings, The AP reports

The Associated Press reports that the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services "received roughly 30 warnings from inspectors (on suspected Medicare fraud) over three years during the Bush and Obama administrations but didn't respond to half of them, even after repeated letters." The news story was based on records received from Sen. Chuck Grassley's office.

16 Nov 2009

CMS report on House health bill: Many more insured means more, not less, spending

The Associated Press: "Overall spending on health care would rise as a result of legislation approved a week ago by the House, and billions of dollars in projected savings contained in the measure will be difficult to maintain, according to a report by a top official at the agency that oversees Medicare.

16 Nov 2009

CCH issues a special Briefing on employer and Medicaid-related provisions

CCH has issued a special Briefing on the employer and Medicare- and Medicaid-related provisions in the House version of health care reform, detailing provisions of the legislation approved on November 7.

16 Nov 2009

GeckoSystems starts in home evaluation trials for CareBot

GeckoSystems Intl. Corp. (http://www.geckosystems.com/) announced today that they are starting limited in home evaluation trials for their first product, a personal companion home care robot, the CareBot™.

16 Nov 2009

Democrats finding little common ground on abortion language in health legislation

Reaction to the amendment restricting abortion in the House health reform bill, passed more than a week ago, continued to reverberate through news outlets today.

16 Nov 2009

Rural thoughts on improving the health care system; plus other state news

Kaiser Health News examines rural health care in Kentucky and finds that models for community health care that operate there could benefit the nation's health care system despite. The article notes that Hazard, Ky., was labeled as one of the worst health care regions in America by the 2008 American Human Development Report, but "there are enduring models in places like Hazard that could prove instructive to rebuilding healthy communities across the nation, both rural and urban."

13 Nov 2009

Health policy research round up - Medicare and Massachusetts

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: The Secrets of Massachusetts' Success - "By the summer of 2008, less than two years after Massachusetts' health reform law became effective, only 2.6 percent of state residents were uninsured—the lowest proportion ever recorded for any state." This study by the RWJF-funded State Health Access Reform Evaluation (SHARE) initiative "explains how national reforms can use similar methods to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued other coverage expansions."

13 Nov 2009

Membership for leading health insurers decline for the first six months of 2009

The nation’s leading health insurers saw an aggregate decline of 836,000 members for the first six months of 2009. Declining commercial enrollment was offset primarily by gains in products offered to seniors and growth in Medicaid business. Administrative Services Only (ASO) enrollment experienced its first quarterly decline since June 2007.

13 Nov 2009

Overhaul could leave kids' hospitals strapped for cash

Industry advocates say health reform could place a disproportionate burden on children's hospitals, because they will face cuts along with other hospitals, but do not stand to benefit from expansions in insurance coverage, USA Today reports.

13 Nov 2009