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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.

Healthcare reform gets boost from hospital groups

"In the face of mounting Republican opposition to its healthcare agenda, the Obama administration received a boost Wednesday, winning a preliminary agreement with leading hospital groups to cut federal payments to the industry over the next decade," The Los Angeles Times reports.

9 Jul 2009

Health care overhaul ignores illegal immigrants

"As Congress wrangles with overhauling the health care system, there is one population not being discussed. No proposal for a national health plan would cover the nation's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants," NPR reports.

9 Jul 2009

States undergo a variety of health care policy developments

Connecticut: The Associated Press/Hartford Courant reports, "Gov. M. Jodi Rell has vetoed two health insurance bills he said were "well-intentioned" but "would cost the state billions of dollars before any economic recovery is complete."

9 Jul 2009

Medicare analysis finds too many needless deaths at hospitals

A new Medicare analysis by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found a "double failure" at U.S. hospitals. Its release comes as the White House and Congress seek ways to reward quality over quantity of care in health care reform.

9 Jul 2009

Biden formally announces $155 billion agreement with hospitals

Politico is reporting on its Political Intelligence Blog that Vice President Joe Biden, subbing for President Obama who is at the G-8 economic summit in Italy, formally announced the latest deal with the industry. "The nation's hospitals have tentatively agreed to forego about $155 billion in government payments for Medicaid and Medicare over the next decade -- about 20 percent of the $1 trillion projected to be needed to extend health coverage to about 47 million uninsured Americans."

8 Jul 2009

Hospitals, after agreeing to cuts, push ahead with a full agenda

With the Obama administration's help, hospitals are moving aggressively to resolve their biggest objections to legislative proposals to overhaul the health system.

8 Jul 2009

Abortion could prove divisive for health reform, too

An ultimatum against using federal money for abortion procedures could reopen the politically treacherous rift over the issue, creating yet another obstacle for congressional Democrats to overcome if they are to achieve their health reform goals, Time reports.

8 Jul 2009

Hospitals, White House reach accord on cuts to pay for reform

Major hospital groups reached an agreement Monday with the White House and Senate Democrats to accept $155 billion in payment cuts over ten years, a concession that would help pay for proposed health care reforms, the Washington Post reports.

7 Jul 2009

$40 million made available for children's health care enrollment efforts

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that states and local organizations can apply for $40 million worth of outreach grants "to enroll more eligible children in health-insurance programs," according to the Wall Street Journal.

7 Jul 2009

Minnesota clinics serving many more thanks to stimulus dollars

As Minnesota braces for some cuts to public health programs, the state's network of community health centers is being buoyed by money from the federal stimulus that will expand coverage to the un- and underinsured in that state, The Minnesota Post reports.

7 Jul 2009

Long-term care program would provide revenue - at first

A long-term care program could produce some needed dollars, at least in the short range, CQ Politics reports: "A new insurance program for long-term care that Democrats have included in a Senate health overhaul bill would produce about $58 billion in revenue for the government over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office, helping to offset the cost of the legislation.

30 Jun 2009

Democrats are increasingly confident about health reform

Despite costs and public skepticism, Democrats are increasingly confident that they'll enact a vast health care overhaul. McClatchy reports: "The White House is ramping up its behind-the-scenes lobbying of Congress.

30 Jun 2009

Obama reaches out to Governors on health care

"A bipartisan group of governors told President Obama yesterday that they share his urgent desire to restructure the nation's health-care system but warned that any changes should not place more burdens on strained state budgets or eliminate innovative programs they already have in place," The Washington Post reports.

29 Jun 2009

Warranties and reimbursements for family caregivers provide alternative payment methods

The New York Times reports on a proposal for a new health care reimbursement model that offers warranties to patients, a topic also examined in a piece by Francois de Brantes in the journal, Health Affairs.

29 Jun 2009

Finance Committee Senators: Reform bill trimmed to less than $1 trillion

Some senators on the Finance Committee said Thursday they've moved closer to cutting their health reform bill's cost to under $1 trillion.

29 Jun 2009

Sources: Hospitals may strike deal to save $200 billion

Hospitals could sign on to an agreement with Senate health reform leader Max Baucus, D-Mont., and the White House to help save up to $200 billion as part of the overhaul plan, lobbyist and health industry sources tell Roll Call.

25 Jun 2009

California Medicaid providers win legal challenge

Medicaid providers in California won a legal challenge over program cuts in the case "Maxwell-Jolly v. Independent Living Center of Southern California."

25 Jun 2009

Business groups note faults in House Democrats' overhaul plan

House Democrats readying a health reform bill without a price tag or a budget analysis will hear from business interests today that their plan is irrevocably broken and that they need to start from scratch, CongressDaily reports.

25 Jun 2009

Telemedicine stroke program provides woman a lifeline

While suffering a major stroke at her home near Mena, Iva Sikes assumed the worst, not knowing that a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) - led telemedicine program would provide her a complete recovery.

24 Jun 2009

Dental health advocates want to sink teeth into health care reform

The Washington Post reports many oral health professionals worry that dental issues have "a tenuous place at best in the national debate" regarding an overhaul of the health care system. Still, they emphasize that dental health is an integral part of health care and note the special burden untreated dental issues have on poor children.

23 Jun 2009