CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner ended months of speculation Thursday and signed legislation allowing state health insurance and Medicaid coverage for abortions, a reversal of the first-term Republican’s stance on the proposal last spring. The Legislature, which is run by Democrats, approved the measure in May but delayed sending it to Rauner until … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump’s budget director insists the administration’s spending plans won’t cut Medicaid money, but by any conventional measure of federal financing the health care program for families and the poor is clearly on the chopping block. Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, while introducing the budget Tuesday: “There are … Continue reading
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A new benefit in Virginia’s Medicaid program aims to help people with substance abuse disorders get treatment. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that (http://bit.ly/2oI8UTs) the state is increasing provider rates for things like substance use intensive outpatient and medication assisted treatment for opioid addicts. Provider rates are also going up for partial … Continue reading
An editorial by Gov. Terry McAuliffe Republicans in Richmond have a choice to make. They can choose to stand up for health and opportunity for their constituents and a stronger Virginia economy, or they can allow divisive partisan politics to continue to hurt their commonwealth. For the past 3½ years, Virginia has been engaged in a … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Add Medicaid expansion to the list of Obama-era health care provisions that Americans want to keep. A new poll finds that 8 in 10 say lawmakers should preserve federal funding that has allowed states to add coverage for some 11 million low-income people. The survey released Friday by the nonpartisan Kaiser Family … Continue reading
CHICAGO (AP) — Demand for long-term care is expected to increase as the nation ages, but the majority of Americans 40 and older lack confidence in their ability to pay for it. The annual cost of long-term care expenses range from $17,680 for adult day care to more than $92,000 for a private room in … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — They work for the government and even their closest relatives have no idea what they do. It’s not because they’re spies or nuclear scientists, but because their jobs are so arcane: trying to reinvent Medicare to improve it, and maybe save taxpayers money. In a sprawling, nondescript office park near Baltimore, some … Continue reading
DALLAS (AP) — A jury on Wednesday, April 13 convicted a Dallas-area doctor of fraud for allegedly “selling his signature” to process almost $375 million in false Medicare and Medicaid claims in what investigators called the biggest home health care fraud case in the history of both programs. A federal jury deliberated for 14 hours … Continue reading
An editorial statement by President Barack Obama Just six years ago, the reality in our country was that millions of Americans were locked out of our health care system because they couldn’t afford insurance or because they had pre-existing conditions. Women were charged more than men simply because they were women. People who needed coverage the … Continue reading
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday, Jan 21, praised Louisiana’s new Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, for his decision to expand the state’s Medicaid program to provide health care coverage to thousands of residents. “He’s already delivering for the people of Louisiana,” Obama said. Edwards’ predecessor, Republican Bobby Jindal, had refused to expand … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Confronting the consequences of high-priced drugs, the Obama administration Thursday pointedly reminded states that they cannot legally restrict access by low-income people to revolutionary cures for liver-wasting hepatitis C infection. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also sent letters to several drug manufacturers, requesting details of what they are doing … Continue reading
In most states, the big elections will come next year. But on Tuesday, November 3, voters in a few states are electing governors and legislators, some cities will select mayors, and a variety of major issues will be settled at the ballot box. The elections, although likely to draw fewer voters than next year’s … Continue reading
WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Sep 14, 2015–As states increasingly look to risk-based managed care to serve the nearly 70 million Medicaid beneficiaries across the county, traditional measures of network adequacy do not take into account the many ways Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) enhance network access through a variety of innovative strategies that promote quality and value … Continue reading
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Two women have been sentenced for their roles in a fraud scheme that cost Medicaid more than $2 million. Fifty-year-old Lisa Marie Barrett of Norfolk received an eight-year sentence, while 34-year-old Jacqueline J. Harris of Portsmouth was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday in federal court in Norfolk. U.S. Attorney Dana … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 