Category: Medicaid
How many will Medicaid expansion cover? It depends . . .
President Obama’s health law was expected to cover 32 million uninsured Americans by 2022. But that number will be much smaller if some states don’t buy in.
Feds make it easier for states to enroll poor under health law
The Obama administration will simplify enrollment in Medicaid, the federal-state program for the poor, to handle the onslaught of millions of anticipated enrollees next year when the health care law expands coverage.
Oregon’s Medicaid lottery: A patient’s view
After winning the lottery, Mary Carson, 55, was accepted into the Oregon Health Plan, the state’s Medicaid program, in 2011. She and her partner live with her three children. They earn about $1,000 a month . . .
Expanding Medicaid didn’t lead to big health gains In Oregon, study
Although expanding Medicaid coverage to some low-income Oregon residents substantially improved their mental health and reduced financial strains on them, it didn’t significantly boost their physical health, a new study finds.
Inexpensive ways to stay healthy – CDC
Learn free or low-cost ways to be healthy. Making healthy choices may help prevent injury, disease, and disability. Stay healthy on the cheap by including smart choices that are low-cost or free. Many are simple too.
How do you tell if a $2 billion experiment to improve Medicaid in Oregon is a success?
The federal government has allocated $2 billion to Oregon to test ideas for coordinating care given by doctors, nurses, and hospitals. Now, the state has to figure out how it will measure its success – or failure.
Hospitals lobby hard for Medicaid expansion
With billions of dollars at stake, hospitals are lobbying hard for Medicaid expansion in Columbus, Tallahassee and other state capitals where state legislators oppose the extension of the program to some 17 million Americans.
Oregon shows costs of putting Medicaid enrollees in private plans
A number of states led by Republicans leery of health reform are considering expanding Medicaid by putting enrollees in private plans. But the strategy is not new. Oregon has been using this model for more than a decade — with mixed results.
Sequestration spares Medicaid and Medicare but cuts many health programs for low-income Americans
The sequestration’s automatic cuts will make it more difficult for low-income Americans to get maternal and infant care, vaccinate their children, and receive treatment for mental illness.
Health insurers see big opportunities in health law’s Medicaid expansion
In Washington state, for example, Molina Health Care, one of the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care plans, is building clinics to supplement its network of independent doctors. “We know demand for care is only going to increase and we are trying to build capacity to get ahead of the curve,” says Dr. J. Mario Molina, the company’s CEO.
Government-run health care that works – in conservative Arizona
Arizona occupies an unusual place in the national landscape: as a model for how a generously-funded, tightly regulated government program can aid vulnerable, low-income patients like Antonia Lopez
Are long-term care insurance rates going up for women?
Although the Affordable Care Act seeks to end health plans’ use of gender to set prices, the new rules don’t apply to policies for long-term care.
Florida’s plan to expand Medicaid welcomed . . . and feared
Docs, consumer groups cheer Florida Gov. Scott’s decision to expand Mediaid, but worry that his plan to enroll patients in for-profit health plans will lead to poor service.
Office of the Insurance Commissioner launches revamped, mobile-friendly website
The Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner has launched a redesigned, mobile-friendly website that should be easier for both consumers and industry professionals to use.
When consumer protection isn’t there – viewpoint
“What happened to Mary is wrong. Not only is it wrong, it is highway robbery. What is really wrong is that she—as with how many others—has no affordable legal recourse or any state or federal protector or advocate.”
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