RSSCategory: Medicaid

How many will Medicaid expansion cover? It depends . . .

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.

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May 20, 2013 | By | Reply More
Feds make it easier for states to enroll poor under health law

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.

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May 18, 2013 | By | Reply More
Oregon’s Medicaid lottery: A patient’s view

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 . . .

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May 10, 2013 | By | Reply More
Expanding Medicaid didn’t lead to big health gains In Oregon, study

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.

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May 1, 2013 | By | Reply More
Inexpensive ways to stay healthy – CDC

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.

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April 30, 2013 | By | Reply More
How do you tell if a $2 billion experiment to improve Medicaid in Oregon is a success?

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.

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April 27, 2013 | By | Reply More
Hospitals lobby hard for Medicaid expansion

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.

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April 17, 2013 | By | Reply More
Oregon shows costs of putting Medicaid enrollees in private plans

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.

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March 29, 2013 | By | Reply More
Sequestration spares Medicaid and Medicare but cuts many health programs for low-income Americans

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.

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March 11, 2013 | By | Reply More
Health insurers see big opportunities in health law’s Medicaid expansion

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.

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March 8, 2013 | By | Reply More
Government-run health care that works – in conservative Arizona

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

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March 7, 2013 | By | Reply More
Are long-term care insurance rates going up for women?

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.

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February 26, 2013 | By | Reply More
Florida’s plan to expand Medicaid welcomed . . . and feared

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.

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February 24, 2013 | By | Reply More
Office of the Insurance Commissioner launches revamped, mobile-friendly website

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.

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February 13, 2013 | By | Reply More
When consumer protection isn’t there – viewpoint

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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February 4, 2013 | By | Reply More