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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.

Few dentists in Wisconsin accept patients enrolled in BadgerCare Plus

Few dentists in Wisconsin are accepting patients insured by BadgerCare Plus, and children in particular are affected, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

12 May 2009

Healthy living helps older, overweight cancer survivors reduce functional decline

A home-based diet and exercise program reduced the rate of functional decline among older, overweight long-term survivors of colorectal, breast and prostate cancer, according to a study in the May 13 issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical.

12 May 2009

Early Alzheimer's diagnosis could reduce fiscal burden

Early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease could save millions or even billions of dollars while simultaneously improving care, according to new work by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers.

12 May 2009

West Virginia Gov. Manchin vetoes Medicaid mental health reimbursement hike

West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D) on Thursday vetoed a $1.5 million bill to increase Medicaid reimbursements for mental health care services over three years, but said that the state will direct $12.7 million in state and federal money to community-based mental health services and reduce overcrowding in psychiatric hospitals, the Charleston Gazette reports.

12 May 2009

HHS will release guidance on 'meaningful use' of health IT this summer, Blumenthal says

HHS soon will issue guidance and specifications on the definition of "meaningful use" of health information technology, National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal said on Friday, CongressDaily reports (Noyes, CongressDaily, 5/8). "Meaningful use is very much on our mind," he said, adding, "We hope to provide a direction and some specifications in the late spring, early summer" (Goldstein, "Health Blog," Wall Street Journal, 5/8).

12 May 2009

Health industry members vow to reduce spending by $2 trillion over next 10 years; savings could help finance reform

Leading health care industry groups on Monday are expected to pledge to President Obama that they will attempt to reduce $2 trillion in expected health care spending increases over the next 10 years, Obama administration officials said on Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reports (Adamy, Wall Street Journal, 5/11).

12 May 2009

South Carolina health coverage, cigarette tax bill stalls in state Senate

Legislation that would use an increase in the South Carolina cigarette tax to create a new health coverage program for low-income state residents has stalled in the state Senate Finance Committee, the AP/Myrtle Beach Sun News reports.

7 May 2009

Survey examines wait times for appointments with specialists in 15 U.S. cities

Atlanta residents seeking appointments with certain specialists wait an average of 11.2 days, which is the shortest wait time among 15 cities polled in a survey released on Wednesday, the Detroit Free Press reports.

7 May 2009

Obama to propose $17 billion in budget cuts

President Obama on Thursday will propose a detailed fiscal year 2010 budget that reduces or eliminates 121 programs to save an additional $17 billion, the New York Times reports (Calmes, New York Times, 5/7).

7 May 2009

Georgia Governor signs bill to restructure state's health services

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) on Monday signed a bill (HB 228) that will split the state's Department of Human Resources into three separate entities: the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Community Health, and a refocused Department of Human Resources, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Perdue said he is dedicated to having the new agencies fully functional by July 1.

6 May 2009

WellCare agrees to pay $80 million to settle Florida Medicaid, CHIP fraud charges

WellCare Health Plans has agreed to pay $40 million in restitution and $40 million in civil penalties to avoid criminal charges in Florida over alleged fraudulent payment practices to the state's Medicaid and Healthy Kids programs, the Wall Street Journal reports (Fuhrmans, Wall Street Journal, 5/6).

6 May 2009

AHIP President, CEO says health insurance industry would accept stronger federal regulation, stop charging women higher premiums than men

During a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Tuesday, America's Health Insurance Plans President and CEO Karen Ignagni said members would concede to greater government regulation, as the industry works to prevent the creation of a government health plan that could threaten their business, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports.

6 May 2009

Asthma coaching can reduce hospitalizations in some children

Working with an asthma coach helps to significantly reduce hospitalizations of low-income, African-American children with asthma, results of a new, two-year study show.

5 May 2009

Obama to release budget proposal details on Thursday, including plans for 'integrity' initiatives for Medicaid, Medicare

President Obama on Thursday is scheduled to release additional details of his fiscal year 2010 budget proposal, which will include $13.7 billion over five years for "program integrity" initiatives to increase oversight and eliminate fraud and errors in federal programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, the Wall Street Journal reports.

5 May 2009

Utah hospitals significantly affected by Medicaid reimbursement cuts

Hospital officials in Utah say that recent cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates were much steeper than anticipated and that they might be forced to offset costs by increasing fees on insured patients or scaling back on charity care, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. Hospitals are facing a nearly 25% cut in Medicaid reimbursement beginning July 1.

5 May 2009

Kaiser Health News/Philadelphia Inquirer examines proposal that would allow people ages 55 to 64 to buy into Medicare

Kaiser Health News/Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday examined a plan being touted by Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.) that would allow people ages 55 to 64 to buy into Medicare. The plan would target people who purchase insurance on the individual market or have no insurance because of unemployment.

5 May 2009

Private Medicare Advantage to receive $11.4 billion more in 2009

Private Medicare Advantage (MA) plans will be paid $11.4 billion more in 2009 than what the same beneficiaries would have cost in the traditional Medicare fee-for-service program, according to a new report released today by The Commonwealth Fund.

4 May 2009

Change to Medicare reimbursement policy may pose risks to black kidney patients

A change in Medicare reimbursement policy could make it more difficult for African Americans with kidney disease to access dialysis services, suggests a study in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

23 Apr 2009

Complications, death rates similar at bariatric surgery centers of excellence, other hospitals

Patients who undergo bariatric surgery at hospitals designated as centers of excellence do not appear to have lower mortality rates or lower rates of complications than those whose procedures are performed at other hospitals, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

20 Apr 2009

Medicare payments for outpatient prescription medications jumped $38 billion between 2005 and 2006

Medicare payments for outpatient prescription medications increased by more than $38 billion when comparing 2005 and 2006 data, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

13 Apr 2009

Medicaid News and Research

Few dentists in Wisconsin accept patients enrolled in BadgerCare Plus

Healthy living helps older, overweight cancer survivors reduce functional decline

Early Alzheimer's diagnosis could reduce fiscal burden

West Virginia Gov. Manchin vetoes Medicaid mental health reimbursement hike

HHS will release guidance on 'meaningful use' of health IT this summer, Blumenthal says

Health industry members vow to reduce spending by $2 trillion over next 10 years; savings could help finance reform

South Carolina health coverage, cigarette tax bill stalls in state Senate

Survey examines wait times for appointments with specialists in 15 U.S. cities

Obama to propose $17 billion in budget cuts

Georgia Governor signs bill to restructure state's health services

WellCare agrees to pay $80 million to settle Florida Medicaid, CHIP fraud charges

AHIP President, CEO says health insurance industry would accept stronger federal regulation, stop charging women higher premiums than men

Asthma coaching can reduce hospitalizations in some children

Obama to release budget proposal details on Thursday, including plans for 'integrity' initiatives for Medicaid, Medicare

Utah hospitals significantly affected by Medicaid reimbursement cuts

Kaiser Health News/Philadelphia Inquirer examines proposal that would allow people ages 55 to 64 to buy into Medicare

Private Medicare Advantage to receive $11.4 billion more in 2009

Change to Medicare reimbursement policy may pose risks to black kidney patients

Complications, death rates similar at bariatric surgery centers of excellence, other hospitals

Medicare payments for outpatient prescription medications jumped $38 billion between 2005 and 2006

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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