Maine’s Efforts To Pare Medicaid May Put It On Collision Course With Administration
State is moving ahead with plans to cut thousands of residents from the health insurance program for the poor.
Hospitals Finding Patients On Google, Facebook
Officials say the strategy helps patients, as well as providers. But critics complain it’s about revenue generation, not about improving health.
Sebelius Signal To States: Don’t Roll Back Medicaid Eligibility
In letter to governors, HHS Secretary Sebelius urges states to “take advantage of unusually generous” Medicaid expansion deal.
Medicaid Expansion Already An Issue In Some Gubernatorial Races
Hours after the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama’s health law but made its Medicaid expansion optional, Missouri Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Randles said the state would be foolish to expand the health insurance program for the poor — even it means passing up hundreds of millions of federal dollars. “States that accept this new […]
States Could Cut Medicaid Rolls In 2014 As A Result Of Court Ruling
Some low-income adults could be thrown “into a black hole with nowhere to turn for coverage.”
States Balk At Expanding Medicaid
A growing number of Republican lawmakers and state Medicaid officials say they may pass up the nearly $1 trillion federal pot to expand the program. Politics is a factor, but cash-strapped states also have legitimate budget concerns.
Ruling Puts Pressure On States To Act
The Supreme Court Thursday gave states the option to skip the Medicaid expansion, but the pressure of accepting millions in new federal dollars to pay for coverage for low-income people may be too great.
Court Challenge Could Result In Medicaid Cutbacks Instead Of Expansion
Under the health law, Medicaid will grow to cover every American with a household income below 133 percent of the federal poverty level. A ruling against the expansion — or the entire law
Seniors Missing Out On Some New Medicare Benefits
Next time President Obama vacations in Hawaii– his usual Christmas destination –he might want to tell seniors there about how his health law provides free annual wellness visits for people enrolled in Medicare. So far, just 1 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who live there, or 890 people, have used the benefit this year, the lowest percent of any […]
Migrant Health Clinics Caught In Crossfire Of Immigration Debate
The hunt for illegal immigrants interferes with federally funded care for farmworkers.
Veterans Would Benefit Under Health Law, Study Says
If the 2010 health law is upheld by the Supreme Court, it would extend health coverage to thousands of the nation’s veterans, a new study says. The study, released Thursday, said about 630,000 uninsured veterans would likely qualify for Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for the poor, which would be expanded under the law. In addition, 520,000 […]
Study: Residents In Tenn., Fla. And Ga. Saw Biggest Jump In Access Problems
Adults in nearly every state saw their access to health services worsen during over the past decade, with Tennessee, Florida and Georgia having the greatest increase in people reporting having an unmet medical need, according to a study released Tuesday. The three states had at least a 9 percentage point jump in the proportion of adults under 65 who […]
Health Care Increasingly Out Of Reach For Millions Of Americans
More privately insured Americans are delaying treatment, while safety net programs cannot meet demand by those people who are under- and uninsured.
Insurers Embrace ‘Virtual’ Doctor Visits
The explosion of Web- and telephone-based medical services is transforming the delivery of primary health care, giving consumers access from home for inexpensive, round-the-clock care.
Community Health Centers Get $728M Boost To Serve More People
The Obama administration on Tuesday gave out $728 million to expand and modernize 398 community health centers that provide primary care mainly to the poor. The money, made available under the 2010 health law, will help centers in 48 states expand their capacity to serve an additional 900,000 people. Demand for care at the centers […]
Medicare Trustee Has New Personal Stake In Program
As a nationally known expert on federal health policy, Robert Reischauer has for decades had more than a passing interest in Medicare. But this week his passion for the program — and concern for its future viability — turned more personal. “I applied for Medicare yesterday,” Reischauer said Monday at a media briefing where he and […]
Community Health Centers Under Pressure to Improve Care
Quality is uneven at federally funded clinics that treat millions of poor people.
Rural Georgia Center Relies on Educators, Electronic Records To Boost Patients’ Health
But some patients still struggle to find specialists.
Arizona Gets OK To Expand Health Coverage To Kids
Nearly 22,000 poor kids in Arizona will gain health insurance coverage under a Medicaid deal the state has reached with the Obama administration, federal officials said Friday. The agreement lets Arizona use a combination of county dollars, money from the University of Arizona Health System and a small amount of state money gained from Indian gaming operations to draw down […]
Hospitals Urge Peers To Ditch Fast Food, Turn Down The Lights
Eleven of the nation’s largest hospital systems –including Kaiser Permanente, HCA Healthcare and Boston-based Partners HealthCare — today called on their industry to be better environmental stewards. The Healthier Hospitals Initiative challenges hospitals to reduce energy use and waste, purchase environmentally friendlier products and serve healthier foods. The effort is as much about reducing health risks and environmental […]
