Medicaid News and Research

RSS

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.

Receipt of ventricular assist devices associated with poor outcomes, high costs

Medicare patients who receive ventricular assist devices (a type of heart pump) have high rates of death, illness, prolonged hospital stays, with resulting high costs of care, according to a study in the November 26 issue of JAMA.

25 Nov 2008

HHS releases first-ever inventory of quality measures

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has released the first-ever inventory of quality measures that are used for reporting, payment, or quality improvement by its agencies and operating divisions.

24 Nov 2008

Researchers examine trends in prescription opioid use for non-cancer pain

A review of more than 4 million insured patients with private coverage and Medicaid, published in the The Journal of Pain showed that rates of opioid use did not differ widely between non-cancer pain conditions but there were higher rates of opioid use among Medicaid patients.

18 Nov 2008

Lower socioeconomic status decreases chances of early detection and survival of colorectal cancer

An abstract presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research shows that lower socioeconomic status reduced the chance of early stage diagnosis and survival of colorectal cancer in Colorado.

18 Nov 2008

ER/PR negative tumors associated with insurance status

African-American women are at a higher risk for ER/PR negative breast cancer.

18 Nov 2008

Adults with severe heart failure have more doctor visits, medications than others on Medicare

Adults with severe heart failure see almost three times as many Medicare providers each year compared to a typical beneficiary, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

12 Nov 2008

Racial disparities found in access and use of organ transplantation in children listed for heart transplant

Minority children awaiting a donor heart for transplant have a higher death rate than white children, even after controlling for clinical risk factors, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

11 Nov 2008

Impact of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Medicare reform explained

The end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Medicare reform measures recently passed by Congress represent the most significant ESRD reforms in decades.

8 Nov 2008

General anesthesia for hernia surgery in children and risk of later developmental problems

Children under the age of three who had hernia surgery showed almost twice the risk of behavioral or developmental problems later compared to children who had not undergone the surgery, according to a study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the College of Physicians and Surgeons.

8 Nov 2008

Age, race are among factors that influence carotid-surgery success

Advanced age and race are among the factors that can affect whether a patient dies or suffers a stroke after carotid-artery surgery, a UT Southwestern Medical Center physician involved in a multicenter study has found.

6 Nov 2008

NCPA statement on Florida study about prescription drug prices

Health Service Online has published a study called "Variation in Drug Prices at Pharmacies: Are Drug Prices Higher in Poor Areas," by Walid F. Gellad.

6 Nov 2008

2 million children with insured parents are uninsured in the U.S.

Some 2.3 million children a year, mostly from low- to middle-income families, have no health care coverage to pay for preventive or other medical needs, even though at least one of their parents is insured, according to a new study supported by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Center for Research Resources, part of HHS' National Institutes of Health.

6 Nov 2008

Medicaid policies vary widely for biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs

Patients with inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis now have many more treatment options than in the past, including biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

5 Nov 2008

Cumulative spending on Medicaid benefits projected to reach $4.9 trillion over 10 years

Under current law, spending on Medicaid is expected to substantially outpace the rate of growth in the U.S. economy over the next decade, according to a new annual report released today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

19 Oct 2008

Health care questions we want to hear answered tonight

How does a $5000 tax credit help when the average family health care plan now costs more than $12,500/year, and how are working families expected to pay the difference?

15 Oct 2008

Medicare stops paying for 10 reasonably preventable medical errors

Medicare starting Wednesday will no longer pay hospitals for additional care resulting from "reasonably preventable" errors, the New York Times reports.

5 Oct 2008

Health plans' quality of care improved in some areas in 2007, NCQA report says

Health plans' quality of care improved in 2007 -- the ninth consecutive year of continued improvements -- according to a study released Thursday by the National Committee for Quality Assurance, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

5 Oct 2008

Vice Presidential debate includes references to health care

Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.) and Republican vice presidential nominee Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on Thursday during a debate at Washington University in St. Louis discussed health care and other proposals offered by Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the Washington Post reports.

5 Oct 2008

States see rising enrollment in Medicaid as economy falters

With states confronting a weakening economy, enrollment in Medicaid began to rise last year with states expecting even larger increases for fiscal year 2009, according to a new 50-state survey released today by the Kaiser Family Foundation's Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU). With the increased enrollment, Medicaid spending is also rising more rapidly than in the recent past, raising the potential for program cutbacks as states confront the combined impact of more enrollees and fewer available resources.

29 Sep 2008

Senate unveils second economic stimulus bill that would provide additional Federal Medicaid funding; House also to consider stimulus measure

Senate and House Democrats have prepared separate proposals for a second economic stimulus package that include additional federal funds for Medicaid and other programs, CQ Today reports.

29 Sep 2008