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.

Number of uninsured U.S. residents projected to rise by 1.1 million for each percentage point increase in unemployment rate

For every one point rise in the U.S. unemployment rate, the number of uninsured is projected to increase by 1.1 million people, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured analysis released Tuesday, the New York Times reports (Sack, New York Times, 4/29).

29 Apr 2008

CQ's Carey looks at genetic anti-discrimination measure, legislation to block Medicaid rules implementation, FDA hearings

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, examines Senate approval of genetic nondiscrimination legislation, House passage of a measure to block implementation of new Medicaid rules and hearings about FDA's need for increased inspection resources in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

28 Apr 2008

Florida budget officials tap into tobacco endowment fund to provide health care for low-income, severely ill residents

Florida state budget negotiators on Wednesday approved a measure to shift $300 million from the Lawton Chiles Tobacco Endowment for Children and Elders to preserve social and health care services for about 40,000 residents in state Medically Needy and the Medicaid Aged-and-Disabled programs, the Miami Herald reports.

26 Apr 2008

Special needs plans seek to avoid moratorium by providing more data to congress

Officials from special needs plan providers said Thursday at a Capitol Hill briefing that they will provide Congress with more data on the services the plans provide to beneficiaries with severe chronic medical conditions, CQ HealthBeat reports.

26 Apr 2008

Federal Government should 'pay its bills' instead of shifting health care, other costs to atates, Arizona Gov. Napolitano writes

States are "in a precarious position" this year because the "economy is slowing down," revenues from taxes are declining and "demand for expensive services -- health care, food assistance and the like -- is growing," Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) writes in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece.

24 Apr 2008

House votes 349-62 to approve legislation that would block new Medicaid regulations

Despite a veto threat from the White House, the House on Wednesday voted 349-62 to approve legislation (HR 5613) that would place a one-year moratorium on seven new Medicaid regulations, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports (Abrams, AP/Houston Chronicle, 4/24).

24 Apr 2008

Blacks on Medicaid carry heavier cancer burden than whites do

African-American patients receiving Medicaid benefits have markedly higher rates of breast, prostate, colorectal and lung cancer than whites on Medicaid according to a recent study.

24 Apr 2008

White House issues formal veto threat against legislation that would delay Medicaid regulations

The Bush administration on Tuesday issued a formal veto threat against legislation (HR 5613) that would place a one-year moratorium on seven new Medicaid regulations, CongressDaily reports (CongressDaily, 4/22).

23 Apr 2008

NACDS seeks passage of E-prescribing bill to finance Medicaid reimbursement rule change

National Association of Chain Drug Stores CEO Steven Anderson on Tuesday in a letter asked lawmakers to pass a bill (HR 4296) that would require physicians who participate in Medicare to adopt e-prescribing by 2011 to finance legislation (S 1951, HR 3700) that would revise a new rule related to Medicaid reimbursements to pharmacies, CongressDaily reports (Edney, CongressDaily, 4/23).

23 Apr 2008

Maryland lawmakers approve measures intended to improve dental care for low-income children

In the 2009 fiscal year state budget, the Maryland General Assembly included millions of dollars in funding for initiatives that will expand dental care to more children enrolled in Medicaid, the Washington Post reports.

22 Apr 2008

Sickest patients still struggle under new Medicare Part D benefit

A recent study finds that the advantages of the new Medicare Part D drug benefit-a program that for the first time offers Medicare recipients prescription drug coverage-are mixed.

22 Apr 2008

Bush Administration directive to enroll low-income children in SCHIP before expanding coverage is unenforceable because it violates Federal law, according to GAO

The Bush administration violated federal law last year when it issued a policy directive that restricts states' ability to expand their SCHIP programs, according to a Government Accountability Office legal opinion released Friday, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 4/19).

21 Apr 2008

Requiring more frequent eligibility checks for California Medicaid will affect children's coverage, increase costs

A plan by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) that would require most Medi-Cal beneficiaries to complete eligibility forms four times per year, rather than annually, will affect children the most and will not save the state money in the long run, according to a report commissioned by the California Endowment, the Sacramento Bee reports.

18 Apr 2008

New Democrat coalition, New York City officials announce proposal for Federal health care IT program

Members of the New Democrat Coalition on Tuesday announced a proposal that would use a New York City health care information technology program as a legislative template for a federal program, CQ HealthBeat reports.

18 Apr 2008

NEJM article examines U.S. physician shortage

In this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, national correspondent John Iglehart examines efforts by medical schools to enroll and train more physicians, as well as the lack of action by the federal government and private health insurance industry to address concerns about physician shortages in the U.S.

18 Apr 2008

Best use for popular CAD assessment procedure is misunderstood

What is the best way to determine if you are developing the nation's most deadly condition, coronary artery disease (CAD)?

15 Apr 2008

Using teledentistry to provide orthodontic services to disadvantaged children

Socially disadvantaged children have limited access to orthodontic services. A team of scientists studied a novel approach using teleconferencing to determine the possibility of increasing access to limited orthodontic treatment for these children.

4 Apr 2008

Prenatal syphilis screening rates: Are they being accurately reported?

Prenatal syphilis screening, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control, medical professional organizations, and public health authorities, is critical to preventing still births and serious birth defects in babies of affected mothers.

4 Apr 2008

Restrictive drug policies often cause schizophrenic patients to discontinue medication

Policies requiring authorization before physicians can prescribe newer medications to schizophrenic patients may be counter-productive.

2 Apr 2008

PET confirmed as valuable cancer diagnostic and disease-staging tool

The recent release of data by the National Oncologic PET Registry (NOPR) showing that positron emission tomography (PET) produced scans revealing disease at a molecular level, which then caused physicians to change treatment plans for more than one-third of participating patients, has corroborated decades of nuclear medicine research.

28 Mar 2008

Medicaid News and Research

Number of uninsured U.S. residents projected to rise by 1.1 million for each percentage point increase in unemployment rate

CQ's Carey looks at genetic anti-discrimination measure, legislation to block Medicaid rules implementation, FDA hearings

Florida budget officials tap into tobacco endowment fund to provide health care for low-income, severely ill residents

Special needs plans seek to avoid moratorium by providing more data to congress

Federal Government should 'pay its bills' instead of shifting health care, other costs to atates, Arizona Gov. Napolitano writes

House votes 349-62 to approve legislation that would block new Medicaid regulations

Blacks on Medicaid carry heavier cancer burden than whites do

White House issues formal veto threat against legislation that would delay Medicaid regulations

NACDS seeks passage of E-prescribing bill to finance Medicaid reimbursement rule change

Maryland lawmakers approve measures intended to improve dental care for low-income children

Sickest patients still struggle under new Medicare Part D benefit

Bush Administration directive to enroll low-income children in SCHIP before expanding coverage is unenforceable because it violates Federal law, according to GAO

Requiring more frequent eligibility checks for California Medicaid will affect children's coverage, increase costs

New Democrat coalition, New York City officials announce proposal for Federal health care IT program

NEJM article examines U.S. physician shortage

Best use for popular CAD assessment procedure is misunderstood

Using teledentistry to provide orthodontic services to disadvantaged children

Prenatal syphilis screening rates: Are they being accurately reported?

Restrictive drug policies often cause schizophrenic patients to discontinue medication

PET confirmed as valuable cancer diagnostic and disease-staging tool

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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