Category: Medicaid

Medicare Failed To Recover Up To $125 Million In Overpayments From Private Insurers

A Medicare Advantage plan run by Independence Blue Cross, headquartered in Philadelphia, was among those audited for overcharging by the federal government. Six years ago, federal health officials were confident they could save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually by auditing private Medicare Advantage insurance plans that allegedly overcharged the government for medical services.

A mundane hospital hack

… wrong people. I don’t want to diminish how hackers can target healthcare operations, as there is a market for private health information. But for long-term care providers, this case offers teachable moments. One, reminding employees to log out of …

The ‘Delicate Dance’ of Replacing Obamacare

Although the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is considered the most significant and comprehensive overhaul of the American health care system since the 1960s, when Medicaid and Medicare were established, it has been the target of reform virtually since its enactment in 2010. Last year, the words “repeal and replace” became the mantra of Republican congressional leaders looking to dismantle the legislation and was a key talking point for Donald Trump while on the campaign trail.

Mass. groups mobilize against threat to Obamacare

As the Republican-led Congress moves to repeal the federal Affordable Care Act, a new Massachusetts-based coalition is preparing to fight back. More than 20 groups representing hospitals, doctors, insurers, employers, health policy experts, and consumer advocates are banding together to try to preserve the state’s near-universal access to health care.

Says time is now to protect Medicaid

… coverage.” Gov. Branstad has taken up the national Republican campaign against Medicaid. A campaign that could deny health benefits to millions of children, seniors, working families and people with disabilities. According to the Center on Budget …

Democrats prepare major effort to save Obamacare

… protect it by touting all of its benefits. “This is not just about the 20 million previously uninsured who now have health security,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said during a call with reporters Monday. “But this is about the …

Pelosi: Ball is in GOP court on Obamacare replacement

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Monday that the ball is in the GOP’s court when it comes to replacing ObamaCare, according to reports. Pelosi didn’t necessarily rule out working with the GOP on replacing President Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement after it is repealed, but said the responsibility to do so will ultimately fall in their lap.

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Senior House Democrats on Monday extolled the benefits of President Barack Obama’s health care law in hopes of derailing Republican plans to gut the statute and over time replace it. In a conference call with reporters, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the GOP will begin its “assault” on the health care law when the 115th Congress convenes Tuesday.

Senator: Russia’s election meddling should alarm Americans

All told, Obama has granted 1,176 commutations and 148 pardons – fewer pardons than some presidents, but more commutations than any other, the White House said. Under mounting pressure to free convicts as a last act, President Barack Obama is planning at least one more batch of pardons and commutations before leaving office in two weeks, but don’t expect many famous offenders… A Republican-run House panel created to investigate Planned Parenthood and the world of fetal tissue research has urged Congress to halt federal payments to the women’s health organization.

Think of those who need help

… Obviously, there is some crossover in these initiatives. * Nearly one-fourth of the people in our country have health insurance paid for entirely by state and federal governments, through the Medicaid and CHIP programs (CHIP is for children). The …

Bloomberg View: Dona t stop pushing on Medicare payment reform

The quest to create a more rational health-care system took a dispiriting turn this month, when the federal government abandoned an effort to motivate doctors to use the best available drugs, rather than the costliest ones. What’s worrisome is that this could be the start of a more general retreat from payment reform in health care as the White House changes hands.

Medicaid expansion, casinos among Hassan’s wins and losses

Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan officially becomes a U.S. senator on Tuesday, ending four years of leading New Hampshire from her corner office. Her two terms in office were marked by accomplishments, including providing subsidized health care to 50,000 low-income people, and by failures, such as her unsuccessful drive to legalize a casino.

New rules to limit Medi-Cal ‘death fees’

… estate recovery program collected close to $70 million, says Tony Cava, spokesman for the state Department of Health Care Services, which administers Medi-Cal. That’s up from roughly $53 million in 2011-2012. Sen. Ed Hernandez, D-West Covina, points …

Obama, Democrats to Consider Ways to Save Affordable Care Act

President Barack Obama will meet with Democrats in Congress on Wednesday to discuss ways to protect his signature health care law, which Republicans have threatened to repeal. The president and Democratic lawmakers hope to devise a strategy to delay the Republican-controlled House and Senate from repealing much of the Affordable Care Act without providing a replacement plan.

With Trumpa s victory, Republicans hope to overhaul Medicaid

In this file photo, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., left, joined by Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., heads to a meeting of House Republicans on Capitol Hill in Washington. When President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, Republicans will have the opportunity to do something they have desired for years – overhaul Medicaid, the program that provides health care to millions of lower-income and disabled Americans.

With Trump’s victory, GOP hopes to overhaul Medicaid

When President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, Republicans will have the opportunity to pull off something they have wanted to do for years – overhaul Medicaid, the program that provides health care to tens of millions of lower-income and disabled Americans. Any changes to the $500 billion-plus program hold enormous consequences not only for recipients but also for the states, which share in the cost.

Sanders will lead Democratic drive to organize rallies in every state against Medicare/Medicaid cuts

Donald Trump has won the presidency after narrowly carrying a few states to put him above 270 electoral votes.But according… Senate Republicans refused to give President Obama’s pick to replace Supreme Court Justice Scalia even the courtesy of a… Bernie Sanders doing the Democratic Party job of persuading congressional colleagues to help organize nationwide pre-inaugural protest rallies over potential cuts in Medicare and Medicaid, as well as other health matters Republicans are likely to take up in Congress come January.

Following Trump’s Victory, GOP Hopes to Overhaul Medicaid

In this August 1, 2013, file photo, Republican congressmen Paul Ryan and Tom Price talk before a committee hearing on Capitol Hill. Now House Speaker and President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of health and human services want to overhaul Medicaid by sending a fixed amount of money each year to U.S. states.

CMS Issues Alert Updating and Clarifying Mandatory Reporting…

On December 12, 2016, CMS issued a Technical Alert that announced a change in reporting requirements for several different types of settlements with total payment obligation to claimant dates on or after January 1, 2017 and no ongoing responsibility for medicals . In the Technical Alert, CMS lowered the mandatory reporting threshold for all liability insurance settlements, including mass tort settlements , from $1000 to $750.

Study: Free Market Solutions Should Replace Obamacare

Republicans vow to repeal the Affordable Care Act once Donald Trump is in the White House. The question becomes, what will replace it? “You can do all the things that Obamacare claims to do – cover people with pre-existing conditions, cover the uninsured – but does it in a way that puts patients and consumers in charge of their own healthcare dollars instead of the government or insurance companies.”

As Others See It: Don’t stop pushing on Medicare payment reform

The quest to create a more rational health care system took a dispiriting turn this month, when the federal government abandoned an effort to motivate doctors to use the best available drugs, rather than the costliest ones. What’s worrisome is that this could be the start of a more general retreat from payment reform in health care as the White House changes hands.

Alere -1.2% as it appeals revoked Medicaid billing for Arriva

Alere is down another 1.2% in after-hours trade following news that its Arriva Medical unit — the largest contract supplier for diabetes testing supplies under the Medicare National Mail Order Competitive Bid Program — has appealed a decision to revoke its Medicare billing privileges. Arrival appealed to an administrative law judge at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; it expects the appeal to be heard within 30 days and a decision within three months.